The Avatar's Anagnorisis Redux
by agnikai58
Summary: Korra's first trip to the Fire Nation serves as a catalyst that pushes her relationship with Asami in a direction she had never imagined while making the two of them unwitting pawns in a power struggle that threatens the very existence of both worlds. Rated M for sexual content and violence. BDSM Korrasami
1. Arrival

It was difficult to pinpoint exactly when her feelings for Korra had begun. Asami had first become aware of her growing attraction during the Red Lotus's insurrection, but maybe it had started before then. Perhaps they had always been there, deep down, during the days when they had first met and were fighting over Mako. Figuring out if the Avatar had felt the same way had been more difficult however. At times like when Korra had written her from the South Pole she would have said yes. But then Korra had disappeared without a word to anyone until Jinora tracked her down. And then Korra had held her hand as they traveled into the Spirit World and Asami had felt for certain that her feelings were being returned. But once on the other side there was a kind of shadow written on Korra's face that Asami had never seen before and she pulled her hands away seemingly embarrassed.

The Spirit World was everything that she had ever heard or read about and more and Korra was pleasant company for the most part. But if she steered the conversation anywhere near the two of them then Korra would immediately change the subject to something else. They had brought enough food to last them two weeks and Asami had gotten tired of the evasions and resolved to force the issue once they had run out. She finished eating the last few bits of canned meat before putting the empty tin into her pack to be disposed of once they were back in Republic City. Asami nervously rubbed her hands together as she eyed the other woman "Korra, We need to talk."

Korra looked upward from the tin that had nearly been empty before Asami had even begun to eat her last meal in the Spirit World. She set the tin down and took a deep breath "I guess I know what this is about but please go ahead."

"There's no easy way to say this so I'm just going to come right out and ask. Why have you been avoiding talking about us? You know I'm interested in you and I'm pretty sure you feel the same way but you won't talk about this."

The Avatar tossed the empty disc of metal between her hands before answering "This is going to sound really stupid but it's because I feel guilty. After Aang died there was only one airbender in the world, Tenzin. And once they found me, two. If airbending was going to ever come back into the world, it would be through our descendants. I'm not saying the White Lotus ever tried to order me to have kids but there was always this idea floating around that if I had kids then they could possibly have any of the four elements. A lot of people didn't even think it would work but it was that or wait generations for Tenzin's descendants to rebuild the Air Nation. But if I was involved with you then I couldn't have kids..."

"But why would you be feeling guilty about that now? There's hundreds, maybe thousands, of airbenders out there now since Harmonic Convergence. And besides, whether or not you have kids is up to you, not them."

Korra grimaced as she dropped the tin into the smaller pack that she was carrying "Like I said, it's stupid and I'm still working on it, but yes, I am interested in you. Just give me some time."

The area surrounding the Spirit Portal in Republic City was mostly the same as it had been when the two of them had gone through it two weeks ago but with one very notable exception. A towering chain-link with spirals of barb wire and floodlights at the top encased the entirety of the vines around the portal in a rather large circle. In addition she could see small groups of two or three continually patrolling on the outside of the fence. Korra and Asami exchanged a concerned glance with each other before heading towards what looked like a gate in the perimeter.

As they drew closer, Asami recognized the insignia and uniform of the United Republic military on the men and women in front of them. There was a small cluster standing on the outside and the group jumped, startled, when Korra yelled at them "Hey! Open up."

One of the men, a lieutenant according to the insignia on his uniform, glowered at Korra. "The spirit portal is off limits to all unauthorized personnel an-."

"Unauthorized? You know I'm the Avatar right?"

Even without the benefit of hindsight that was the wrong thing to say but Korra was still irritated even when they had gotten back to Asami's mansion. "I can't believe they fined us for that. We went through the portal before that stupid fence was even put up."

Asami shrugged it off "It makes sense. We both know how dangerous spirits can be. Keeping people away from the spirit portal is for their own protection. And besides, it's not like I can't afford to pay our fines. Don't worry about it, I'm rich."

Korra muttered something unintelligible at that before glancing down the hallway in both directions "So where's Yin and her family? It seems awfully quiet right now."

"Oh they left with Wu before we went on our vacation. He asked them to come help him with the Earth Kingdom's upcoming elections."

The two of them had only been gone for two weeks but the world hadn't been idle during their brief vacation in the Spirit World. Kuvira's trial had mostly been a speedy formality for everyone involved. The former leader of the Earth Empire had pleaded guilty to all charges and was subsequently imprisoned in an undisclosed location. Prince Wu had remained true to his word at Varrick's wedding and was currently in the Earth Kingdom beginning what would likely be a difficult transition to a democratic government. The Beifongs from Zaofu and Bolin, along with a large number of airbenders including Tenzin and his children, had gone with him. As for her friends still in Republic City, Lin was swamped dealing with the aftermath of Kuvira's assault on the city and Mako was stuck behind a desk while his arm healed. At least that's what all the letters they had received said. Korra and Asami had briefly mentioned that they were leaving for the Spirit World to Tenzin so the others had sent their letters to the mansion for when the two of them returned.

Asami handed the letter from Mako to Korra before picking up the last envelope on her office desk. All of the previous letters had the sending and receiving addresses written on the front but not this one. The front of it was completely devoid of any information on it. This hadn't been sent through the mail service, this must have been personally delivered by hand. She flipped it over, curious about who would go to the expense of having a courier physically deliver a message. On the back, sealing the envelope shut was a hardened glob of wax with a chop pressed into the middle of it. The Fire Lord's chop. "Greetings Miss Sato. I hope this letter finds you in good health … I would like to formally invite you to the Fire Nation capital to discuss what could be a mutually beneficial arrangement. Signed Fire Lord Izumi."

Korra looked up from Mako's letter as Asami read Izumi's message aloud. "An invite from Izumi? Let me see that." Asami handed the envelope over and Korra held it up between her and the lamp on the wall as she peered at the seal. "That's definitely her seal." She tossed it back onto the desk "A personal invitation from the Fire Lord herself. So what are you going to do Asami?"

What was she going to do? Hardly a difficult question for Asami to answer. "I'm going of course. I'm not sure what she wants but I have a feeling it means good things for Future Industries. I don't see why else she would take an interest in me. A better question is what you are going to do now. Stay in Republic City? Go help Wu in the Earth Kingdom? … Come with me."

That caught Korra off guard and her surprise clearly showed on her face "What?"

Asami picked the letter up and tossed it back to Korra. "Come with me. I'm not trying to be mean, but no one, including me, really _needs_ your help at this very moment. They can make do for a couple of weeks or months without you and besides, have you ever been to the Fire Nation?"

Korra slowly shook her head as she considered Asami's impromptu invitation "No... I haven't."

"Well that settles it then. The Avatar should visit all the nations at least once. You're coming with me, no arguing."

Her first instinct was to resist being bossed around and fight back but the idea was quick to grow on Korra. She could do the most good if she went to the Earth Kingdom but the prospect of spreading democracy would mean going back to an area of the world she'd rather avoid for now. The scars from dealing with Kuvira were still fresh and she was still recovering from what Zaheer had done to her. Visiting the Fire Nation actually sounded like the more appealing option and she could always head to the Earth Kingdom afterwords. "All right's let's do it."

The airship Asami took them to was a lot smaller than the last Future Industries model Korra had ridden during their search for airbenders those three long years ago. But that one had needed room to hold all the people they had been expecting to find. This time it was just the two of them, well almost the two of them. There was one other person on board the airship, a man named Lee who served as the ship's pilot and mechanic. And even though the ship was smaller, it was no less luxurious than it's larger Future Industries counterpart. Korra wasn't one to complain though since it made their two day trip to the Fire Nation a lot more pleasant than stowing away aboard a freighter or sailing the seas on a catamaran.

Korra had been taught about the Fire Nation's geography and that many of the mountains and islands were volcanically active. It was another thing altogether to actually be able to look out of a window and see lakes of lava gurgling at the peaks of a hundred islands barely large enough to deserve the name. Or to watch the rock wall of a caldera give way letting molten rock cover the mountain side in flames and smoke until it met the ocean amidst great clouds of steam. As she watched the flow of lava, Korra couldn't help but remember that a volcano much like this one had played a part in the demise of one of her predecessors, Avatar Roku. Minutes became hours before the volcanoes were slowly replaced by fishing villages on the shores of islands covered in rolling plains of green grass. And if she looked hard enough, Korra could see small specks on the water down below, fisherman plying their trade in the same manner that their forerunners had done for thousands of years. Further inland and far from the fishing villages were the actual cities. Built on the banks of rivers or lakes, high walls surrounded them all and the only thing connecting them to each other were narrow bands of dirt where the land had been trampled into submission by those who traveled over it.

Eventually the capital itself began to appear on the horizon and it steadily grew larger as their airship approached from the eastern sea. As more and more of the city came into view Korra was finally able to see the places Katara had spoken of on the rare occasions that she had been willing to recount the failed invasion on the "Day of Black Sun".

At the very mouth of the bay, a pair of enormous dragons flanked a tall stone pillar and thick metal chains long since turned green could be seen descending beneath the water's surface between them. A massive stone wall guarded the entrance to the harbor itself and then there was the Royal Plaza. An enormous corridor leading towards the city with towering cliffs and fortified towers on either side. The defenses wasn't completely unbeatable but it would be a difficult battle even with modern inventions like mecha suits or biplanes. That Sokka and Katara had gotten as far as they had was a testament to the forces they had been able to gather for their ill-fated attack born out of desperation.

The rest of the capital beyond that was broken up into a few areas but the most striking was what lay at the top of the mountain. An enormous caldera kilometers in diameter and filled to the brim by the residents of the Fire Nation's capital city. The radio in the cockpit crackled to life as they gazed out the forward windows. "Fire Nation air control hailing unknown vessel. Transmit identification and prepare to land at the Harbor City airfield, over."

Lee, the pilot, glanced up at Asami "All yours Miss Sato."

Asami pulled the microphone off it's hook and pressed down on the transmit switch. "This is Asami Sato aboard The Canary out of Republic City. Passengers are myself, my pilot Lee and Avatar Korra."

There was a long and deafening silence after she let go of the switch. Asami exchanged glances with both Lee and Korra as they waited for a response. Eventually the other side spat out a burst of static and the man from air control was speaking once again "My apologies for the delay but we require confirmation that the Avatar is on board before clearing you for landing."

Strange and stranger but Korra just shrugged and took the mic "This is Avatar Korra speaking. What's the problem? I'm just here for a visit."

The man started laughing nervously and there was a clear note of tension in his voice "Problem? There's no problem, disregard earlier landing instructions. There's a private airfield on the east side of the caldera. Proceed there and land at your convenience, a delegation will meet you there."

Korra frowned as she hung the mic back up "What was that all about? That got really weird once he heard I was on board."

Asami could only shrug since she was as ignorant on the subject as the Avatar "I don't know Korra but I have a feeling we're going to find out. Take us in Lee, no point waiting around here."

The airfield they had been directed them to was rather small and there were only a few airships, all even smaller than theirs, resting on the ground. Lee leaned forward as he looked around before spotting a single person waving a pair of red flags at them. "Guess that's where they want us to land Miss Sato." A few moments later and the ship settled onto the ground with a barely perceptible bump. Either Lee was very familiar with this ship or a highly skilled pilot, possibly both. He flipped a switch and the ramp at the aircraft's rear dropped to the ground and the three of them disembarked and looked around but there was nobody but the man who had signaled their landing spot.

It was quiet at first but there were sirens in the distance that steadily grew louder and louder as the three of them waited. The source soon became clear as a small fleet of expensive looking cars flanked in front and behind by police vehicles with blazing lights and sirens raced onto the airfield at high speed. A few seconds later and the caravan came to a stop in front of them with screeches that made the mechanic in Asami wince sympathetically. The doors of the police vehicles opened first and the cops inside were quick to spread out as they formed a perimeter encompassing the airship and the vehicles in addition to Korra and Asami. Once the circle had been established the occupants of the other cars began getting out and forming up in a cluster of around twenty people or so in front of the Avatar.

None of them looked familiar but Korra had seen enough Fire Nation dignitaries to recognize that these were nobles from their clothing. Various shades of red, gold and black along with an abundance of silk and finely woven cotton. But all of these expensive looking robes and dresses were wrinkled and their wearers hair looked decidedly unkempt and one man in the back was dabbing something onto his cheek. Korra frowned at Asami but her friend didn't have an answer for what was going on as the nobles milled about though with frequent furtive glances at the Avatar.

Finally a woman with black hair that was slowly fading to gray and rectangular glasses over her sharply defined face emerged from a limousine. Unlike the others, her clothes looked impeccable but a few stray hairs drifted down to rest on her cheeks. She gestured at the nobles who had preceded her and without hesitation they dropped to their knees and lowered their faces to the ground. Fire Lord Izumi was the last to lower herself but she only went down to a single knee and bowed her head.

"We are honored to welcome you to the Fire Nation, Avatar Korra."


	2. History Lessons

Authors Note: I'm still still pretty far from finishing this but I decided to start posting some of the chapters that I've currently completed for the time being.

Another thing to note is that pretty much all of the Fire Nation material in this story is my own creation of what a post TLA Fire Nation might be like and shouldn't be construed as canon.

* * *

 **History Lessons**

* * *

Korra knew that showing up in the Fire Nation unannounced might turn some heads but she had never expected a response, and one so quickly delivered at that, like this. A group of Fire Nation nobility including Fire Lord Izumi kneeling in the muddy field while dressed in their finest ceremonial garb. To say that she was taken aback would be an understatement but an elbow from Asami to the ribs was enough to make her realize they were waiting for a response. This whole situation felt more than a little absurd but she pressed one fist into the palm of her other hand and leaned slightly forward at the waist. "Thank you for welcoming me on such short notice Fire Lord. I'm sorry I didn't send word but it was a spur of the moment decision to come here when Asami got the letter you sent."

Izumi remained kneeling on the ground but she raised her head after Korra addressed her "Have you made any arrangements for lodging or plans for what you'll be doing during your stay in the Fire Nation?"

Korra shook her head and Asami took the opportunity to involve herself in the conversation "I can't say we've made any kind of plans but I was just assuming we'd sleep on my airship while here."

That drew a low murmur from one of the nobles kowtowing on the ground and Izumi was immediately shaking her head as she rose to her feet "Nonsense. Avatar Korra's first time visiting our nation and she was planning to sleep on an airship."

She clapped her hands once and the other nobles were rising as well, some trying to brush mud and pieces of grass off their clothes as they did so. "We have a villa on the palace grounds that the two of you can occupy but I can have the servants clear out rooms in the Palace if the villa is too much of an inconvenience." The Fire Lord gestured with one hand towards the limo that she had arrived in. "If you'll accompany me then we can escort you to the palace or anywhere else you might want to go."

Lee cast a nervous look at the Fire Lord and the small crowd of nobility that she had brought with her to greet the Avatar "If you don't mind Miss Sato, I'll stay with the ship." He didn't wait for a response and quickly retreated back up the ramp and out of sight. Asami chuckled to herself as she made her way towards Izumi's vehicle.

The back of the limousine had two seats spanning the length of the car facing each other and Izumi sat herself in the middle of one leaving the other for Korra and Asami. She reached back to knock on the wall between her and the drivers compartment with her knuckles and the vehicle shuddered into motion. Asami opened her mouth to say something but the Fire Lord raised a finger to her lips shushing the other woman as she toggled one of the switches in a small panel mounted on the wall. A number of copper meshes slid outwards to cover the inside of the tinted windows and there was a clicking sound as they locked into position. Izumi gestured at the window covering to her right "I trust you can guess what these are Miss Sato."

Asami leaned forward as she peered at the window and it's metal covering next to her before answering "I'm not quite sure. It kinda looks like the faraday cages we use at Future Industries but these holes are a lot smaller than ours."

Izumi nodded but Korra scratched at the side of her head as she asked the obvious question "A what? What's a faraday cage?"

It was the Fire Lord who answered "A faraday cage is a cube made out of conductive metals that can block electromagnetic signals. There's more to it than that but this will allow us to speak in confidence here." Her tone was still formal but there was the slightest touch of frostiness as she continued speaking "My apologies for not being able to give you a proper greeting Avatar Korra but it's as you said, you didn't let us know we were coming. If we had been given proper notice then we would have arranged a welcome suitable for your station."

Korra started to frown and she folded her arms irritably "Suitable for my station? What is that supposed to mean?"

The Fire Lord chuckled slightly but there was little humor in it "My apologies, that wasn't supposed to be an insult. I'm aware of how Republic City sees you and let me assure you that is not the case for my people. We still respect the old ways and chief among them is respect for the Avatar. I may be the Fire Lord but the Avatar answers to no one and has supreme authority when they choose to exercise it."

That was certainly different and Izumi certainly wasn't wrong about Republic City. Her arrival in the city had just barely preceded the Equalist rebellion, public opinion had turned on her after Unalaq's attack and Korra had even been exiled by Raiko once. And now here she had the leader of the Fire Nation herself telling Korra that she had supreme authority. "Just how much authority are we talking about? Could I tell you to step down from the throne?"

Izumi's face paled just a touch beneath her glasses but to her credit she remained otherwise composed "You could... but I would ask you not to abuse your power in this manner. It would do more harm than you know to depose me."

Korra had been trying to make a wry comment but Izumi's reaction had been deadly serious. Her slight smirk vanished as the sobering realization sank in. If she could order the Fire Lord to step down then Korra really _did_ have supreme authority in the Fire Nation. "I'm sorry, that was a joke. I didn't mean it..."

She gave a tight lipped smile in response and the Fire Lord's voice sounded rather strained "I see. That's my mistake then but please try not to make any comments like that in public. People could very easily take them the wrong way."

Asami shifted in her seat as glanced around for a seat-belt but there were none in sight. There was still some tension in the air so she decided it would be best to change the subject "I have a question if you don't mind Fire Lord. Your letter mentioned a mutually beneficial arrangement, may I ask what you had in mind?"

It was painfully obvious to all of them what Asami was doing but Izumi's face relaxed nonetheless as she seized onto the lifeline she had been thrown. "Very well. Tell me, how much do you know about the founding of the United Republic Miss Sato?"

The founding of the United Republic? Asami didn't see any apparent connection between that and her question but Izumi clearly had a line of thought that she wanted Asami to follow here "It came about at the end of the Hundred Year War. Fire Lord Zuko was starting to relocate Fire Nation colonies that been established back to the Fire Nation but the people didn't want to leave the homes they had built. Things quickly came to a head at Yu Dao and it was there that King Kuei and Fire Lord Zuko made the decision to form a fifth nation."

Izumi nodded approvingly at the brief history lesson "Very good Miss Sato but you left out one important detail. The United Republic was created on the premise that anyone could live there without any restrictions such as bending or nationality. And that is what makes it unique. The world has been divided into four nations ever since Wan became the first Avatar. When the United Republic was founded no one knew what would come of it, what was going to happen. But now we have the answer. In the last seventy years we've seen more technological and scientific advancement than in the last ten thousand years. And Republic City is at the heart of it. Individuals such as yourself Miss Sato are at the heart of it. My father chose to let things proceed of their own accord but I feel it's time to take a more active hand in matters. The details will be discussed later but I want you to bring those advancements to my nation Miss Sato."

Asami stared with eyes open wide as she began to realize the potential of this carrot that Izumi was dangling in front of her. "You're serious? But there's plenty of people you could have gone to for something like this. Why me?"

"Don't misunderstand me. I would have preferred it if I could have given this task to Fire Nation engineers and scientists but they simply aren't as good as the best and brightest from Republic City. And you weren't even my first choice, I was actually planning on hiring Varrick but that only lasted until I met the man."

Izumi's mouth twisted in disapproval at the thought of whatever it was that had happened when the two of them had met but Asami didn't need, or want, to ask for any details. They were talking about Varrick after all. It was disconcerting that Izumi had said she had favored Varrick over her however. There was no denying that Varrick was brilliant but the man was the very definition of eccentric and any project he got involved with was far too likely to blow up in everyone's faces. The limo came to a halt and Izumi toggled the same switch from earlier making the copper meshes retract. "If you'd like, I can show you around the palace."

They hadn't stopped at the palace itself and instead they had found themselves on the edge of what almost looked like a desert. A flat and completely featureless field of scorched rocks and dirt surrounded the palace on all sides. No trees or plants and possibly not even a single blade of grass lay within it. Asami lifted an eyebrow at the sight before turning to look behind her. A tiny wasteland in front of her and an abundance of greenery behind her. The Fire Lord must have seen the question forming in Asami's head "It's a security measure. The Fire Lords of old feared assassination so they had this measure implemented. If there's nothing to hide behind then no one can sneak in without being spotted." She beckoned them to follow her with one hand down a stone pathway that spanned the length of the field from it's outer edge to the palace.

The palace was already one of the city's dominant features but the sheer flatness surrounding it made it's high roofs seem even larger in comparison. It was far more ornate then the skyscrapers and stone behemoths of Republic City with flame shaped statues covered in what looked like gold leaf all over the curved roofs. The doors Izumi was making her way towards had a line of people standing next to the doorway as they waited on the Fire Lord's return. They started to bow towards her when the man standing at the head of the line saw Korra and his eyes widened in surprise before he dropped to kowtow on the ground. The others started at his reaction but were quick to follow suit when they realized the Avatar herself was standing right there. Izumi glanced back to see the surprise on Korra's face before turning towards the man who had seen her first "Osamu, the Avatar and her companion will be staying here for the time being. See to it that one of the villas is prepared for them and that all their needs are met. Their ship is at the royal airfield."

Osamu and the line of people behind him rose to their feet and bowed to Korra then to Izumi before hurrying away. Korra watched him for a moment before shaking her head in disbelief "Is everyone here going to act like that around me? This feels so weird."

"If you'd like Avatar Korra I can issue a decree asking people to bow instead of kowtowing when they see you but that's the furthest I can go. Anything less would be seen as a grave insult to the Avatar." Izumi turned to head inside and after a few second Korra and Asami followed her in.

Through the door was a long dark hallway whose only illumination came from lamps dangling on ropes from the unusually high ceiling above. But the main feature of the room was the stretch of gigantic portraits lining the entire length of each wall for as far as Korra could see. Izumi came to a halt in front of the ones closest to the doorway and clasped her hands behind her back. "My apologies for asking for another history lesson Miss Sato but I assume you can tell us who these people are?"

Asami looked at the present Fire Lord curious at what she was getting at now before turning her attention to the paintings themselves. The first was Izumi, looking much like she did right now and the next was her father Zuko, scarred face and all. They all had the same basic stance, standing straight with flames above one or both hands but the three preceding Zuko had something extra in common. "The first one is you obviously and that's your father which means the next three must be Ozai, Azulon, and Sozin but that's from memory since I wouldn't be able to tell from the paintings themselves."

The three Fire Lords before Zuko, both in reign and on the wall, had quite literally been defaced. The canvas was intact but the faces of the three Fire Lords were covered in what looked like a thick layer of smoke residue. But only their faces, everything else on the painting looked to be in pristine condition. "Correct once again. I'm sure you're wondering why these paintings were only damaged and not taken down. My father did consider having these burned but removing them from this hall would only be a way of pretending that the atrocities they committed didn't happen. Instead he made the decision to leave them in this condition so that all who come here would remember what was done by my predecessors and by the Fire Nation."

Asami turned away from the paintings to face the current Fire Lord "I'm curious about something now. It's a small sample size but I've noticed the way people are reacting to Korra because she's the Avatar so far. If the Fire Nation respects the Avatar so much then how did Sozin, Azulon, and Ozai get people to fight against him during the Hundred Year War?"

Izumi looked at the marred painting of Sozin before answering "At the risk of being rude I'm sure I don't need to tell you how effective propaganda can be Miss Sato. Sozin had decades to put his plans into motion and for all his faults he was an extremely charismatic man by all accounts. In hindsight it's not surprising at how effective he was when he had so much time to sway public opinion." She hesitated before adding one last line "Not that I support his actions, but it would be foolish to say he wasn't successful. However this is a discussion for another time. I apologize for not being able to show you more of the palace right now but there is the matter of the arrangements I mentioned in my letter. Unfortunately I won't be the one discussing this with you, it's been delegated to... another person. Go to the end of this hallway and take a right and it'll be the second door on the left."

Korra and Asami exchanged a confused glance as the Fire Lord headed back out the door they had entered the hallway from. The room in question looked empty when they arrived but there were a pair of devices atop a table in the center. Asami recognized one as a mover playback device but the second was unfamiliar to her. She frowned at the sight and turned towards Korra "Does anything about this feel odd to you?"

Korra snorted in mild disdain "Try everything since we landed. I don't get what's going on here."

The two of them both took the opportunity to speak and they ended up talking at the same time.

"What did Izumi mean about you and propaganda?"

"Why does the Fire Lord have a faraday cage in her limo?"


	3. An Offer

"Those are both excellent questions and the answers are quite interesting but that's a discussion for another day. We have more important matters to take care of right now."

Korra and Asami spun around at the voice of a third woman in the room. She was sitting on a chair next to an oversized plant to the left of the door, right in the perfect spot to go unseen as they had entered. The voice almost seemed familiar to the both of them but neither could place it and they couldn't see her face either. The woman was covered from head to toe in a bulky hooded robe and her face was concealed behind an opaque red veil except for two yellow irises. She stood up from the chair and moved towards the table in the middle of the room, a folder in hand and her tone was rather brusque "Sit down and we'll get started."

Asami pulled one of the chairs out and sat herself on it as she decided to ignore the rudely delivered order. Korra, on the other hand, folded her arms across her chest and remained standing with an annoyed look on her face. "Who are you?" asked the Avatar.

The anonymous woman tilted her head to one side as she returned Korra's gaze and Asami got the feeling that she was smirking behind that veil. "Who I am is of no consequence. What matters is the proposal at hand. Take a look at this." She set her folder down on the table and flipped a switch on the mover playback machine. The reels began to spin and an image appeared on the opposite wall. "I'm sure you recognize what this is from."

A black and white caricature of Bolin pretending to be a waterbender, furs and all, was gamboling in front of them. It had been a few years since she had first seen this but it was still easy for Asami to identify "That's Bolin from the Nuktuk mover he starred in."

"These movers are an invention of Varrick's and a remarkably successful one at that. But like all groundbreaking inventions, there is always room for improvement once the technology has been sufficiently analyzed. For comparison." Their unnamed host reached over to turn on the second device and another image, this one of a strikingly attractive blonde woman sitting on the edge of a bed, flickered to life next to Bolin. Soft music played as the woman stared off into the distance and a man walked into frame before the image froze in place. "Tell me what you make of this Asami."

Asami's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in surprise at the sheer difference between the two of them. Bolin was clearly recognizable but the image of him lacked many of the details that defined his appearance in the real world. The quality of the second was so far beyond the first that it was like comparing a mannequin to a real person. And the image was in color plus the music hadn't sounded as forced and tacked on as the audio from Bolin's movers had been.

"The Fire Nation could never have invented something like this on their own but we excel at improving what others have built. These devices are still quite new and only a few of them currently exist but I'm sure you can see their potential already. Consider this one a gift as a token of my esteem for this meeting and I trust that you won't use it in order to compete against us in this endeavor. Now on to the matter at hand." She slid the folder to Asami and leaned back in her chair as she waited for the woman from Future Industries to look it over.

Seeing the drastically superior quality of the Fire Nation's mover had been a shock but it didn't even come close to being as astonishing as the documents in front of her. They covered just about everything a modern civilization needed to function and then some. Power generation and distribution, sewage systems, water purification and storage, roadways, vehicles, airships, mass transit, radio towers, even trash management had been included. Installing new equipment in addition to upgrading currently existing infrastructure and maintenance contracts for all of it to boot. Asami stared in disbelief at what had just been laid before her. The Fire Lord's signature was already present and all she had to do was write her name down. Sign these papers and she literally had the lifeblood of the entire Fire Nation in her hands. Sign these papers and Varrick would be the one coming to her for money. In a few short strokes she would become the wealthiest person in the world.

And then the folder was closed on her covering the papers back up and this woman was lifting her chin with her gloved fingers "I'm pleased to see you're so excited about this but you have to do something for me first before this can be yours." She gestured back to the wall with the movers on it as she switched Bolin's image off and started playing the other one once again. The man stopped walking in front of the woman and his hands made their way to his pants as the woman began slipping her dress off. In a few seconds both were naked and it didn't take long after that before his head was buried between her legs.

Asami's mouth was still open but it wasn't from surprise any longer but indignation at what she was seeing. She started to speak but Korra took that moment to cut in "What is this!?"

The mover paused just as the camera had zoomed onto the woman's face as she was looking directly at the camera, seeming at them. "It's quite simple really. If you want all of those contracts Asami then you have to make a mover like this one for me. With her." The cloaked figure's arm pointed at Korra. "Say yes and you'll be able to afford anything you ever wanted. Say no and this will all vanish to never be seen again. The decision is yours."

Korra glared at the disguised woman as she left before turning towards Asami. "Of all the things to ask for, she picked... this." Her hand waved at the still image as her gaze turned towards the folder "What did she offer you anyways? You looked pretty excited when you were reading that."

Asami handed the folder over to Korra to skim through before answering "An incredible amount of work but it would mean an incredible amount of money after a year or two. Richest person in the world kind of money."

"And to get it you would have to talk me into doing... _that_ with you." Korra's eyes were still smoldering but the flames present in them seconds ago were already cooling off.

The Avatar wasn't as impulsive and hot-headed as she had been when they had first met but Asami could sense the quicksand all around her at the moment. Saying the wrong thing or making the wrong implication here could very easily offend Korra and possibly irreparably damage their relationship. But there was a question Asami had to answer before she even began to discuss this with Korra. Was she actually willing to do this in the first place? To film a mover of her having sex with the Avatar in order to secure these contracts? "It does look that way Korra but give me a bit to think about this. This is all so sudden and I need time to examine all the angles."

Korra frowned but she shrugged and started pacing around the room as Asami closed her eyes to think.

The first thing to figure out was why. Why ask them to do this, what would the possible benefit be? Varrick's Nuktuk mover had been tremendously successful and had been seen in cities all over the Earth Kingdom and United Republic. And these were so far beyond that in quality that it was almost laughable. It was obvious that they must be planning on mass producing these devices for sale. They'd be expensive at first but the price would drop as they flooded the market until it was affordable enough for the average public consumer. But a machine that could play high quality movers needed movers of said high quality to play. Those would start being made after the machines were released but something was needed to create demand in the first place, to make people want to buy these to begin with. Well, a mover of the Avatar and Asami Sato having sex would certainly accomplish that.

The benefits for Asami were obvious but what would the consequences be? Republic City was the most progressive city in the world but it still had its fair share of taboos on what was considered acceptable behavior. Making an erotic mover with Korra would break many of those and create taboos of its own in the process. It would certainly mar her reputation but she had overcome the stigma of a negative reputation before and could possibly do so again. But she was only one half of the two people involved. Asami might be able to withstand the hit this would cause but Korra? Korra was the Avatar, the guardian of the balance between the four nations and the bridge between Men and Spirits. Asami had a slim chance of riding out the public backlash but Korra's reputation would be damaged beyond any hope of repair. Film this mover and Korra would be forever branded as a pariah, the Avatar who had sunk to a lower depth than any other in recorded history.

Asami opened her eyes and shook her head "I'm not going to do it for a few reasons. This would make me extremely wealthy but I'm already rich enough to have everything I want. Having more money wouldn't change that. More importantly is what it would do to you, that is if you even agreed to it in the first place. It would ruin people's trust in you as the Avatar if they thought you were a floozy." She reached out to touch Korra's wrist as she continued on in a softer tone of voice "But don't take this the wrong way, I want you to understand that I'm not turning this down because I'm not attracted to you or anything like that. This is about keeping our reputations intact."

There was an ink pen in the middle of the table and she picked it up before scrawling the word 'No' on it in. Korra watched silently until the pen was put back into it's holder "You said 'our reputations'. I get how this would ruin me but wouldn't you be able to cope with it? You're smart enough to figure out a solution."

"Not in this case. Do you remember Izumi's comment about me and propaganda earlier?" Korra nodded and Asami went on "After the Equalist rebellion, no one would do business with Future Industries. We were guilty of my father's crimes by association and nobody wanted anything to do with us. Or me since my last name is Sato. I was running out of money so I went to Varrick but you know how that turned out. My creditors were starting to demand their money back and my employees were beginning to leave for other companies. I got desperate and in a last ditch effort I started running an advertising campaign centered around me. 'Asami Sato – the new head of Future Industries – working to make life better for everyone.' 'A Yuan for Asami Sato is a Yuan for Republic City ' and so on. It was cheesy but it worked and people began to trust us again."

The Avatar frowned at the lines Asami was quoting "When was this? I don't remember hearing anything like that on the radio or seeing anything in the papers."

"It was after the Red Lotus insurrection. You had already left for the South Pole when this campaign happened." Asami couldn't help but giggle a little bit "I'm actually kinda glad you weren't around to hear it. Those radio ads were so awful. You'd never be able to look at me with a straight face ever again. I don't know how Mako pulls it off." She gave the folder and picture on the wall a last look before pushing her chair back from the table and standing up. "I'm going to try and find a bathroom, wish me luck."

Asami stood just outside the door for a moment as she looked in both directions before picking one and headed off. Korra counted to ten in her head before closing the door as quietly as she could. The controls on the machine weren't labeled but she been paying attention to the buttons that woman had pressed to make the higher quality mover play. She glanced back at the closed door once before hitting the button and the scene on the wall resumed. Korra's cheeks quickly turned red as the camera angle changed and she saw in explicit detail exactly what the man's tongue was doing to make the woman moan like that. The Avatar looked back at the door once more before sitting herself down in Asami's vacant chair and continuing to watch with unblinking eyes.


	4. Splitting Up

Izumi had ordered one of her servants, a man named Omasu, to prepare a villa for Korra and Asami to stay in and he had most certainly succeeded in his task. The villa was a large wooden two story house surrounded by meticulously cultivated gardens of roses out front while towering stalks of bamboo flanked it on both sides.

Omasu had been standing in front of the house when the two of them arrived. He bowed at the waist as they approached "I hope you will find these accommodations satisfactory Avatar Korra. The villa has been cleaned but I regret to inform you that we are still working to stock the pantry for your chef. We won't be able to prepare any meals for you until this evening. But these tablets will allow you to go anywhere and purchase anything you wish in our city." He held out a pair of small golden discs towards to them. Korra reached out to take one in her hand and turned it over in her hand as she examined the metal circle. One side had a curving flame embossed on it while the other contained a relief of the sun. He bowed once again and stepped to the side gesturing to the doorway with both arms. "Please leave your shoes on the porch before entering. There's slippers for whenever you're inside and sandals if you choose to go out back."

Asami looked at the disc in her hand as Korra headed towards the house. After a moment she approached Omasu and pulled him to one side speaking quietly as Korra set foot on the porch. The Avatar reached down to unlace the boots she wore and stepped into the slippers as she made her way into the villa.

The buildings outside hadn't been as ornately decorated as the palace but the inside was another story altogether. The floor was made from countless tiny glittering tiles arranged together to form the image of dragons cavorting together. Korra's gaze lifted from the floor, her attention turning towards the nearby wall and she leaned forward as she peered at it before realizing what the builders had done. Each plank of the white cedar had been hand selected to match the ones next to it creating continuous swirls of wood grain across the entirety of each wall. The bedrooms were the most remarkable thing to Korra though. Each was easily larger than the hut she had lived in as a child before Zaheer had tried to kidnap her. Large bureaus lined the wall and there was a walk-in closet half as big as the bedroom and the clothes she had brought with her were already hanging in it. As for the canopied four poster beds themselves, each was large enough to comfortably hold multiple people and the sheets were made of cotton so finely woven it felt almost silken to the touch. Up until now Asami's mansion had been the most luxurious building she had ever seen but this place was just... the words extravagant or exorbitant came to mind but neither did this building justice Korra felt.

By the time Asami found Korra the Avatar had made her way to the back of the villa. She was seated in a small bamboo gazebo at the edge of a large pond surrounded by willow trees and towers of neatly stacked rocks. Asami ducked under the edge of the thatched roof to see Korra seated on a small platform extending over the pond with her feet in the water. "What are you doing back here?"

Korra pointed down at her bare feet with an almost mischievous grin "Take your shoes off and join me, it's fun." A swirling mass of koi were circling around the Avatar's feet and ankles. Some of them were smaller than Asami's hand but the school's biggest members were perhaps a third of a meter in length. All the fish Asami had ever seen before had a more or less uniform pattern of color but these looked like someone had randomly splashed paint all over them. Red, gold, orange, yellow, white and even a few black splotches decorated the aquatic animals.

Asami gave the fish a skeptical look before reluctantly rolling up her pants and taking off her shoes and socks like Korra had. She gingerly lowered her feet towards the pond but the water was much, much warmer than she had been expecting. As soon as her feet broke the surface a group of the koi splintered off and darted towards Asami's legs. Asami jumped in surprise and yanked her feet from the water when the first fish nibbled at her ankle. "It bit me!"

She looked to her right only to see Korra tilt her head to one side and give that cocky little grin of hers "Yep. They don't have teeth though so it doesn't hurt. It's like being tickled unless its one of the big ones. Those pack a bit of a punch." It took a few seconds for Asami to make up her mind but she gradually put her legs back into the water and like before the koi came to investigate the new additions to their pond. Asami jumped once again at the first nibble but kept her feet underwater this time and soon a childlike glee spread itself over her lips and she began to giggle as the fish darted up to check her skin for food before circling away only to repeat moments later.

It was easily the best moment for the two of them since their arrival in the Fire Nation and Korra was loathe to disturb it but her stomach was beginning to loudly demand attention. "So what now? Do you want to go get lunch Asami? Omasu did say there's no food in the house right now."

"I'd like to... but I already made plans." Korra's face started to fall and Asami quick to explain "I ate earlier today on the airship while you were still asleep so I'm not hungry right now. That and I asked Omasu to schedule some lessons for me at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls."

"The Royal Fire Academy for Girls? What's the lesson for?"

Asami shrugged slightly as she pulled her feet out of the water and stood up. "Every nation has different styles of hand to hand combat that they favor. I learned a fair amount of grappling styles in Republic City, the Earth Kingdom is known for their wrestlers, the Water Tribes tend to favor striking and I'm curious to see what the Fire Nation has."

That _did_ sound like fun and Korra was tempted to go with her but Asami had pushed her to go eat and Korra not so grudgingly gave into the rumblings her stomach had begun making. Osamu had been quick to be of service, albeit with too much bowing for Korra's taste, as he called a cab for her. Luckily the driver was behind the wheel and unable to bow like everyone else had when Korra got him but he still made the effort, much to Korra's exasperation. Once it was over he asked where they were going. Korra frowned for a moment "Take me somewhere to eat, but not up here. I saw another part of the city down by the docks from our airship. Take me there."

"Take the Avatar to Harbor City?" The man was horrified at the very idea "There are plenty of places to choose from in the Caldera. Surely one of those-"

Korra's face darkened just a tad and there was more than a little annoyance in her voice at how everyone had been acting around her since she had arrived in the Fire Nation "Take me to Harbor City. Now."

That must have done the trick since the driver stopped arguing and the car trundled into motion. For the most part there were barely any other cars on the road but a sporadic amount of pedestrians on either side while her driver stayed in the center of the street. Slowly the wall of caldera approached and passed over them as they entered a dimly lit tunnel. There was a toll booth on the outer entrance manned by security guards they had to pass through before exiting back into the sunlight. The streets around the palace had been made from concrete or asphalt, Korra wasn't sure which, but this road curving down along the mountain side was a poorly maintained dirt road with too many potholes.

Harbor City was an industrial area full of factories, refineries and workshops holding all the heavy, noisy and ugly machinery needed to support one of the world's biggest harbors. Smoke stacks rose into the sky from many of the buildings though most were inactive but the few still running made up for it as they cast a faint pallor over the area. The dirt road came to an end as the taxi slowly drove on cobblestone streets crowded with notably shabbier looking denizens than in the caldera up above. And voracious eyes stared back at Korra from beneath crude lean-tos in refuse strewn alleyways. The cab came to a stop and her driver pointed to his left "You can eat here if you'd like Avatar Korra. I'll be back in an hour and a half."

He promptly peeled off as soon as she had gotten out, honking his horn at people to get out of the way and quickly disappeared around the corner. Korra frowned as she watched him hurry away before taking in her surroundings. There was a wooden plaque hanging from the eaves of the restaurant with a wooden snake carved into the front of it. Underneath the snake was what must be the place's name she decided. 'The Last Serpent'. It wasn't until she felt someone staring at her that the Avatar realized just how out of place she must look with her Water Tribe outfit and noticeably darker skin. It was only one person at first but more heads began turning and Korra darted inside, hopefully before they realized just who she was and decided to act upon it.

Inside was what would have passed for the cheapest of dive bars in Republic City. Stools with a modicum of padding, tables and chairs with only a few splinters and a bored looking bartender busy wiping a stained glass that never seemed to get any cleaner. As for the other patrons, they were all too busy drowning themselves in their drinks to pay attention to the woman who had just walked in. Korra looked around but there wasn't anyone at the entrance and she sat herself at one of the tables and waited. Eventually a sour faced waitress dropped a menu on the table without bothering to say hello or even so much as looking at Korra before wandering back into the kitchen.

She picked the menu up and began looking through the entries on it. Unfortunately there was a distinct lack of things to eat. Komodo chicken, some noodles and some kind of fried bread. It had a few different kinds of tea on it but the overwhelming majority of this menu was all the different kinds of alcohol. Wines, sake, shochu along with beers and spirits imported from the Earth Kingdom and Republic City. This was the place that taxi driver had decided to take her? What a great choice he had made. Korra looked up, hoping that the waitress was in the dining area so she could order from the scant few choices that she actually had but the woman wasn't anywhere to be seen. All of the other patrons were streaming towards the doors and the bartender was ducking out of sight. Korra wasn't alone in the dining room however.

A thin man with a neatly trimmed goatee and mustache had seated himself at the table nearest to hers. Hanging off his belt was what looked like a scythe connected to a long chain of metal links terminated by a metal sphere at the end. He was rather stylishly dressed in his embroidered leather jerkin and dark trousers but his companions were anything but. Stained shirts, unkempt beards and pants with holes at the knees along with the hammers and cudgels they carried made for a group that couldn't have looked more mismatched if they had tried.

This group's leader stood up when he saw that Korra was looking at him and swaggered over to stand above her. He bowed at the waist before speaking politely but she could hear more than a little cockiness in it "Avatar Korra, my name is Machi and it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the Fire Nation. It is an honor to us all that the Avatar visits us after so many years absent. But I must apologize in advance for this."

He gripped the handle of his curved blade and began to swing it at her neck but the blade scarcely moved a foot before it came to a halt in midair. Machi frowned at the suddenly motionless weapon and Korra could see his confusion as he wrenched at the blade trying to make it move. "What? I don't under-." His eyes widened in realization as the chain and ball ripped free from his other hand and stretched out to their full length in midair. "Metalbending. When did you learn to bend metal? This hardly seems sporting."

Korra wanted to smirk but the man looked so genuinely put out that she almost felt bad. Well, she might have if he hadn't just tried to kill her. By the time a second group burst through the door, looking ready for action, Machi and the other three men were seated on the ground, the chain tying them together. Korra tossed the sickle like weapon to the side and bent her knees as she prepared for another fight. It proved to be unnecessary however as this other group slowed to a stop as they took stock of the situation and started kowtowing towards her. She groaned in annoyance and started gesturing with her hand at them "Stop that, get up."

Machi may have been chained up on the floor but he sounded as confident and composed as when he had entered the tavern earlier. "I'm afraid you'll have to get used to it Avatar Korra. Showing the proper respect for another's station is a deeply ingrained aspect of our culture. Wouldn't you agree my Prince?"

Another person had entered the room and was looking between everyone else in the room. He had been wearing a military uniform the last time Korra had seen him but now he was wearing a sleeveless red and gold vest that hung down past his waist over a pair of black trousers. "General Iroh?"

Iroh bowed at the waist, though not as deeply as Machi had before responding "A pleasure to see you Avatar Korra but excuse me for a moment." He looked at the men sitting on the ground and shook his head, almost seeming amused "Going after the Avatar is bold even for you Machi. I'm a little disappointed you would actually try it."

Machi grinned in response "I'm sure you know the saying about mountain peaks and all that. Truth be told I wished I had known she could bend metal. I wouldn't have made such a grievous error then." Iroh gestured to the men waiting on him and they escorted Korra's would-be assassins out to cars parked on the sidewalk outside.

The general turned towards Korra as he clasped his hands behind his back "Allow me to apologize for this offense. Machi has something of an infamous reputation in the Fire Nation but we never expected he'd try to kill you but the challenge must have been too much for him to resist." Iroh looked around the tavern for a moment, his nose wrinkling ever so slightly "What were you doing here anyways?"

Korra shrugged "I was hungry so I decided to get something to eat but I wanted to see what it was like outside of the caldera up there." She pointed up towards the peak of the dormant volcano for emphasis. "The taxi brought me here and then this happened." Neither of them needed an explanation on what 'this' was referring to.

Iroh rubbed at his chin for a moment "Well if that's the case then perhaps you'd like to have dinner with me? I know the perfect place to eat, however it _is_ back in the Caldera, but I can promise no one will try to kill you there."

Dinner with the general? It was still early in the afternoon but the offer was definitely tempting since she hadn't gotten anything to eat yet due to the attack. "All right, but I'll need something to tide me over until then."

"Not a problem Avatar Korra. There is one thing however. It's quite a formal restaurant and while I mean no offense, these clothes -." He waved at her fur lined Water Tribe getup "- don't meet the dress code of this particular place so you'll have to visit a tailor first. Fortunately I know just where to send you."

Korra frowned just a bit but she had already said yes and frankly she really was getting pretty hungry.


	5. Comfort Zones

Iroh didn't have a limo like his mother, but the general's car was ostentatious enough in its own right. One of his men was behind the wheel and the rest were in another car behind them leaving Korra seated in the back with Iroh. There had been a third car when they left the restaurant but Iroh's men had pushed Machi into it and the vehicle had made a left turn and disappeared from the convoy while the other two vehicles had gone straight through an intersection. "There's something I don't get here. That guy tries to kill me and you show up a couple of minutes later. How did you even know where I was?"

The general glanced out his side window for a moment looking over his shoulder to check on the car behind him before returning his attention to Korra. "Your taxi driver told us you were there. His orders were to drop you off at a restaurant and my men were supposed to have been on site with you. But you ended up going down to the Harbor, something none of us expected to happen. We thought you would've stayed in the Caldera but you caught us all by surprise. He dropped you off and made his way to the nearest phone to inform us of where you were but you had already dealt with Machi by the time we arrived."

Korra frowned at him and folded her arms across her chest. "You were following me? Why?"

Iroh grimaced as he started to explain, already knowing she wasn't going to like what he had to say. "We were shadowing you yes. Try not to take this the wrong way but it was for your protection."

The frown on Korra's face deepened as she started to glare at him. "My protection? I don't need your help to protect myself. I'm the Avatar."

Most people would have wilted or cringed underneath the look Korra was directing at Iroh but he was seemingly unperturbed by it. "You don't need to tell me that. I've fought beside you before and I'm well aware of how skilled you are, you've even saved my life before if you'll recall. You can handle yourself in a fight but the Fire Nation is... more dangerous than you realize."

That made her snort, somewhat amused and somewhat disdainful. "The Fire Nation is dangerous? Because of one man who was foolish enough to attack me with something made of metal?."

Iroh drummed his fingers against his knee as he muttered to himself. "How to explain this... let me ask you something Korra. Have you ever heard of the term 'face' before?" She shook her head no and he continued. "It's not something the other nations have a real analogue for but it's extremely important in the Fire Nation. The easiest way to put it is that face is how a person or house is perceived but that's an oversimplification. It governs the way we interact with each other in public and can dictate our actions at time. But only in public, what happens behind closed doors or when no one is watching is another matter entirely."

Behind closed doors or when no one is watching... a piece of the puzzle clicked into place for Korra. "Before Machi attacked me, everyone there left and it was just me and his group."

"Exactly. When those people saw Machi enter with his thugs, they knew why he was there and what was going to happen. They could have stayed and helped you but that would have been the greater sin in the Fire Nation. No one actually saw him try to kill you so it never happened. And since there never was an assassination attempt no one's face was damaged. Not his, not yours, not the Fire Nation's. And you should consider yourself lucky he chose to attack you directly. It would have been far easier for him to poison your food or drink than to try and fight you outright."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing out of Iroh. "Never happened!? What do you mean it didn't happen? You know exactly what he tried to do to me!"

He looked at her with an inscrutable expression. "I have a very good idea of what happened but to say 'I know' isn't accurate. I didn't see it so I technically don't know. The only other people there besides you and Machi were his thugs. I suspect all three are alcoholics with no face and thus no credibility so their word counts for nothing."

"So he tries to kill me and just gets away with it? Where's the justice in that?"

Iroh simply shook his head "Oh, who says he's just going to get away with it? Machi will be dealt with I assure you. But in our own way, best not to trouble yourself with the details. Besides which, we're here." He gestured at the outside towards the building they had parked in front of. Korra had lost track of where they were during the conversation but judging from her surroundings she realized that she was back in the caldera on top of the volcano. The driver opened her door as Iroh continued to speak "I'd love to stay but I have some matters to attend to. One of my men will stay here until your dress is finished. Just tell the tailor you need a dress for the Forgotten Dragon tonight and she'll take care of the rest."

One of the men from the car following her and Iroh had gotten out as well but just the one. The two cars disappeared down the road and Korra had the distinct impression that Iroh's advice had been right, she didn't want to know what they were doing. She turned to look at the brick building but there wasn't much to see, just a pair of golden shears set above a solid wooden door. Iroh's man opened the door to let Korra enter but he remained outside, shutting the door behind her.

The first room Korra found herself in was a small foyer holding a desk with a teenage girl sitting at a counter with a log sheet sitting on top of it. The girl didn't look up as a small bell rang from Korra's entrance. "Leave your name and address and we'll contact you when those ahead of you have been served."

Korra picked the log up, more out of curiosity than anything else and began to read. The first page was full and so was the second and half of the third. Some of the names on the top sheet had been crossed out but there was roughly a good two months of waiting time judging by the dates that had been left by previous visitors. It was pointless but signing her name was more amusing than it should have been. "Well, I signed my name but I don't exactly have an address I can leave for you."

The attendant raised her eyes from whatever it was she was doing, a look of irritation on her face until she saw just who was standing there. Her mouth worked wordlessly before she turned and hurried up a flight of stairs at the back of the room as quickly as she could while still maintaining some shred of dignity. A few moments later and she was back, another woman in tow. This other woman was significantly older and had more gray then black atop her head though her face was unlined. Her eyes were sharp and clear as they made their way to Korra. "So the Avatar really is here. Return to your mother Tora and think on what you did wrong today."

Tora scurried away and her boss, presumably, bowed to Korra. "Please forgive my fool of a granddaughter. She is normally properly behaved but I fear she let her shock at seeing you get the better of her. I am Elim and this is my shop. How may I be of service Avatar Korra?"

It had only been a few minutes since he had told her but it took Korra a couple of seconds to recall the name of the restaurant Iroh had said they were going to. "I need a dress for the... the... Forgotten Dragon tonight."

Elim took a step back and she gave Korra's outfit an appraising look. "You'll certainly need a dress for that place and a pair of shoes to go with it as well. I can provide these for you but there is the question of payment and may I ask who referred you to us?"

Korra dug her hand into one pocket as she pulled out the golden disc that Omasu had given her earlier and held it up for Elim to see. "Will this do? I don't really know what it is but I was told it'd pay for anything I need. And General Iroh sent me."

The owner of the shop leaned forward as she peered at the disc in Korra's hand before nodding in satisfaction. "General Iroh? Ah you mean the Prince." She turned and gestured to a door at the side of the room "Come with me Avatar Korra, let us see what catches your eye."

A small party of almost faceless plastic mannequins stood at attention in the next room over. Dresses of a dozen different colors and even more styles hung on them and one wall was covered in shelves holding various kinds of shoes. Elim clasped her hands in front of her as she watched Korra slowly make her way through the room inspecting the outfits one at a time. Korra had gone clothes shopping before but the sheer variety of the styles she could see was enough to make her head ache. It wasn't until now that she regretted not bringing her ceremonial dress that she had always used at events in Republic City. If nothing else that would have saved her from this conundrum, a problem only exacerbated by the fact that she really knew almost nothing about fashion whatsoever. Korra turned towards Elim. "Okay, I admit it, I'm lost. A little help?"

Elim didn't smirk or laugh at Korra's fashion induced plight, she didn't even blink for that matter. Instead she pointed at a few of the dresses. "These ones are currently popular in the Fire Nation but I wouldn't recommend those for you. Your clothes are a little baggy but I can tell that these dresses wouldn't compliment your figure very well. What I would recommend is this one here." Her upraised palm was pointed at a black dress that Korra hadn't really noticed before.

Korra's face reddened a bit just from looking at it. The dress didn't have any shoulders or straps to hold it up and there was just enough cleavage shown to hint at what lay beneath. It looked fairly tight around the chest and waist which must how it stayed up and there was a slit down one side that would show off one of her legs. All in all, a dress she would never have picked out on her own. "Why this one?"

"It's one of the current trends in Republic City which I believe is where you live. Once you leave the Fire Nation, this dress will still be fashionable enough for you to wear over there unlike say the domestic trends here. The second reason is that if you'll excuse my impertinence, this dress is well suited for someone with your particular body shape and I believe you'll wear it quite well. Would you care to try it on or shall we look at other options?"

The Avatar eyed it for a long moment before coming to a decision. "No, I'll trust your judgment. Do I just take this dress here or what?"

Elim shook her head. "No, this one here is merely for display. I'll have to get your measurements so the dress can be properly fitted to you. If you'll come with me, there's a private room where this can be done." The tailor or seamstress or whatever she was turned and headed back into the foyer and up the stairs towards where Tora had retrieved her from. The staircase ended in a hallway with multiple doors to each side and Elim opened one for Korra and gestured for her to enter. "Please wait here for me to gather my things, Avatar Korra."

This room wasn't very big but it had everything it needed to suit its intended purpose. A pair of full length mirrors on the wall, a dressing partition with fire lilies painted on it, hooks on the wall for holding clothes and a small raised platform in the middle of the room. Elim didn't take very long to return, pencil, paper and a roll of measuring tape in hand. "Now then, I apologize in advance for any offense I might give at this time. How do you wish to proceed with fitting this dress to you?"

Korra frowned, a bit lost at what Elim was asking. "What do you mean? You said you had to get my measurements. How would that offend me?"

The older woman almost looked like she wanted to chuckle but was suppressing it for the sake of professionalism. "Excuse me for not being clear but women who are being measured for dresses here do so in the nude. It ensures that our numbers are as accurate as they can be and helps us to avoid any mistakes when adjusting clothing. I wasn't sure if that would be an issue for you or not so I wanted to clarify the matter."

Korra shook her head vehemently at the thought of stripping naked. "I'm not doing that, can't you just measure me with my clothes on?"

Elim hesitated as she considered the request. "I can understand your hesitation but this dress is made for wearing without a bra. Getting your measurements with one on would make our work seem sloppy and I hate to be seen as amateurish. If you insist then I can measure you in your underwear and try to estimate the difference but I can't promise it'll work and with this particular dress that could be even more embarrassing since the dress might not stay on properly. We could also select a different dress if that's what you desire."

She hesitated for a long moment but the woman had been exceptionally polite and professional since Korra had come in. "All right fine. But. This. Never. Happened." Taking off her shoes, shirt and trousers wasn't too bad but Korra's face reddened as she undid the clasp on her bra and pulled it off leaving her nude minus the thin piece of fabric covering her groin and buttocks. Elim gestured to the dais in the middle of the room and Korra stepped up onto it.

But by some miracle Elim somehow didn't seem to notice the Avatar's embarrassment as she crouched down and began measuring Korra's legs with the tape in her hands. The tailor moved upwards and wrapped the soft measuring tool around the widest part of Korra's hips. Afterwords she stepped away and wrote a pair of numbers down on her work order sheet. "Please bend to one side Avatar Korra so I can find your waist's crease." A moment later and Elim writing down another number below the other two. "Very good Avatar Korra. One more to go, please let me know me you are ready and I will measure your bust."

Korra took a deep breath to steady her nerves and held up her arms up for the tailor. "Go ahead." Elim took a step closer, her face level with Korra's chest as she pressed one end of the tape against one breast and held it in place with her fingertips. The other end was guided around Korra's back until the tape began to overlap on itself. Elim held the tape in place against the Avatar's breasts just long enough for her to check the number before letting it drop.

"Thank you for your patience Avatar. You may dress yourself now if you wish." Elim wrote down the final number on her worksheet. "Is there anything you need while I have your dress adjusted?"

A number of questions came to mind as she thankfully pulled her bra back on. "I haven't had anything to eat, can you get me a snack or something to drink?" Elim bowed in acquiescence and Korra asked the other question on her mind. "This didn't seem to bother you, seeing me without a bra. Why is that?"

For once, the professional demeanor cracked and the older woman chuckled dryly "My dear, I've been a tailor for a very long time. It was embarrassing for me at first but the novelty of seeing seeing another woman naked quickly wears off when it happens regularly." She looked around furtively and leaned forward as if sharing a secret. "Now if I happened to have a man come in here, then I assure you I would be blushing brighter than you just did but fortunately this is an exclusive establishment."

And then the moment passed and Elim was back to her professional self as she bowed once again. "Thank you for honoring me with your patronage Avatar Korra. Your dress will be ready in an hour or two. Until then I'll have refreshments brought here."

Korra blinked in surprise. "Only a couple of hours? Isn't that rushing it?"

Elim gave a small smile in response. "For another tailor perhaps but let me assure you that we are exceptionally skilled here." She bowed once more and exited the room leaving Korra to wait for this dress and more importantly, the refreshments she had been promised.


	6. Matters of Rule

Elim hadn't been exaggerating when it came to the skill of the tailors who worked for her. It had barely been under two hours and yet they somehow had managed to make this dress fit nearly perfectly. The black dress hung loosely around her ankles but was snug at hip and waist. But the really stunning part was just what it did to her chest. Korra had always known her breasts were on the large side though she had never gone out of her way to flaunt that fact but this dress most certainly did. The majority of her bosom was covered but the dress's neckline was showing off the topmost swell of her breasts and it plunged downward in the middle to put Korra's inner curves on display. Just looking at her reflection in the mirror was enough to make the Avatar blush. "What am I doing? I can't go out like this. It shows too much, I look like a tramp."

"Nonsense Avatar Korra. Yes this dress is a bit daring but you're a vision of loveliness, not a tramp. I just wish you had your old hair style, it'd be perfect with this outfit." Elim looked down at Korra's feet as she brought the matter up again "Or that you were wearing the heels I recommended..."

Korra shook her head as she rejected the suggestion "Those high heels were too much for me. I could barely walk in those things. Running or bending would be completely impossible so I'll stick with this pair." She _had_ tried but the shoes` Elim had picked out were nothing short of absurd and Korra had almost greeted the floor with her face after just a few steps. Not to mention they had been extremely uncomfortable and borderline painful to wear. And besides, she was still wearing shoes that matched her dress, just that the heel itself was far lower than what the first pair had.

The tailor bowed in response as she finally accepted her defeat in the matter. "As you say Avatar Korra. I've contacted the Prince and he will be waiting for you at the Forgotten Dragon. A taxi is currently on its way and will be here shortly."

Korra reached down to smooth out wrinkles in the dress that weren't there before a part of Elim's previous comments registered "What do you mean you wish I had my old hair style? No offense but why would my hair matter to you?"

Elim reached up instinctively to touch her own shoulder length hair as she started answering the question "Fashion has been my profession my entire life even when I was still a child. My specialty is clothing but I try to at least pay attention to the other areas as well, such as makeup or hair. One of the things that I've learned is that people have a tendency to imitate the styles of the rich or famous such as yourself. As such I follow them as well to know where the trends may be going. I don't mean to criticize your choices but I feel you looked better when you had those braids of yours is all. But I've taken up enough of your time. If you'll follow me Avatar Korra."

She then headed towards the door, one hand holding a bag containing Korra's clothes from earlier as she made her way back to the foyer. Korra followed along behind her to find the same man Iroh had left there with her waiting at the door. He smoothly bowed in greeting and held the door open for her before repeating his action with the idling vehicle's door. He closed it once she had gotten inside before getting behind the wheel and the car trundled into motion down the road.

By now the sun had begun to set and Korra could see small clusters of three people in some sort of uniform on both sides of the street. Each group was pulling a cart behind them as they moved between lamps hanging next to the door of every building on the street. She couldn't tell what they were putting in them but each lamp was lit before they would head to the next. "What are they doing?"

Her driver followed the direction of her gaze for a moment before shrugging dismissively "They're lighting citronella candles to deal with mosquitoes. It's the peak season for them right now so extra measures have to be taken. Malaria is a major problem at this time of year and Fire Lord Izumi believes that mosquitoes are responsible so this is her doing." He was silent the rest of the way however, but not for very long as their destination was only a few blocks away.

Like many of other other buildings she had seen in the volcano's mouth, the Forgotten Dragon was a pagoda but most of those were rather narrow and rose up into the sky with multiple stories. The restaurant was a squat rectangular building with only a single floor. The entryway was what the most unusual thing though. A pair of obsidian eyes stared at all who approached from above a smoking snout and it's lower mandible was hanging open so that anyone wishing to enter did so through the maw of a red dragon. A pair of doors rested right where the entrance to the throat would have been if that dragon was real and a hallway snaked to the right. As Korra made her way further inside, she saw two well dressed but heavily muscled men through the holes in a vine covered lattice. One of them started to move out from beyond it but his companion grabbed his sleeve and shook his head at him. The man took another look at Korra and she could see recognition dawn on his face before turning away as if she wasn't there.

The hallway continued a bit longer before she came to a woman wearing what Elim could have identified as a qipao dress colored red and gold. As Korra approached, she couldn't help but notice the distinct lack of menus or even reservation sheets. The hostess smiled politely and gestured towards her right as Korra approached her "The Prince is waiting for you at one of our private tables Avatar Korra."

Past the hostess was a floor covered with somewhere around forty small square mahogany tables covered in white floral linens. A few had plaques reading reserved upon them but overwhelming majority were occupied, a few by Fire Nation and United Republic military officers but the rest was mostly men and women wearing expensive looking clothing. The occasional puff of smoke rose into the air as people exhaled into the air after long drags on the cigarettes and cigars they held between their fingers. One man even held a long pipe made of jade and his table was notably isolated from all the others. At one end of the room several musicians stood atop a raised platform as they played a slow pace melody on their string instrument and there were even a few couples dancing a slow waltz to the tune nearby.

As Korra moved through the room she could hear conversations stopping as she approached and hushed whispers following in her wake. She couldn't see anyone openly looking at her but she could feels eyes on her from every corner. Her eyes scanned the room as she looked for General Iroh and it took a moment before she saw him seated at a table situated in a recessed alcove overlooking everyone else. Korra moved up the stairs and was about to pull out a chair but a waiter appeared from nowhere and beat her to it before pushing it back in once she had sat. Iroh gestured to the waiter "Ginseng tea for both of us. Komodo sausage for the Avatar and your fried clams from Jang Hui for me."

The waiter nodded to Iroh and he was gone as quickly as he had shown up. Korra frowned at the general as he leaned back in his chair "And who said you could order for me?"

Iroh chuckled slightly "My apologies but I thought it would be best. This place doesn't have printed menus of any kind so I took the liberty of ordering one of their specialties for you. You can ask them for something else if you wish."

Korra considered the suggestion for a moment before deciding against it. She didn't like that he had the presumption to order for her but his logic made sense. If there weren't menus then she wouldn't have any idea on what she actually could order but Iroh seemed to know this place well enough that it wasn't an issue for him. "No that's alright, I'll try it but it'd better taste good."

He let the last bit from Korra pass by without comment and changed the subject "So tell me Korra, what do you think of the Fire Nation so far?"

The Avatar bit at her lip as she tried to phrase it in a way that wasn't insulting. "Well... it's only been one day but I'm a bit weirded out. The way everyone keeps fawning on me because I'm the Avatar... it feels really strange that people are putting me on a pedestal."

Iroh grinned slightly "I can certainly relate to that, Prince of the Fire Nation and all though they aren't as bad with me as they must be with you. But that's one of the reasons I like coming to this place."

"What do you mean?" asked Korra.

"Let me ask you something, has anyone bowed to you here?"

The guards at the door had mostly ignored her, the hostess had merely smiled and the waiter hadn't done anything but move her chair back and forth for her. "No... no they haven't. Can't say I mind it either."

"This restaurant is an escape for nobles in the capital. Nobody can see us but each other and we're allowed to forget about ranks and ceremony for a time. I might be the Crown Prince everywhere else but here I'm just another patron enjoying his food. And it might be mean spirited of me, but I brought you here because I wanted to see how the others would react to the Avatar showing up. I'd say your arrival was as close to causing a scene as this place has ever come."

Korra grimaced at the idea of being an unwitting instrument for a practical joke "Everyone was looking at me and I could see them whispering to each other. Doesn't seem to matter where I go, everyone here just sees the Avatar and overreacts. I'm starting to feel like a freak or something already."

The waiter returned and left a pitcher of tea along with two cups on the table before leaving once again. Iroh picked the pitcher up and poured it out for the two of them "Oh, I think you missed why they were whispering to each other and staring. It's not because you're the Avatar. If I might be so bold, it's because you look downright amazing in that dress."

She looked at Iroh embarrassed by the unexpected compliment before hurriedly picking up her cup of tea and drinking it down for the sake of not having to reply to that. Iroh coughed politely into his elbow before refilling her drink and changed the subject "So tell me, why did you come to the Fire Nation? The city's been abuzz ever since you showed up unannounced this morning."

"Well... Asami got a letter from Fire Lord Izumi about a business proposition and she asked me to come with her." More like told her but it amounted to the same thing really "It was a spur of the moment decision but to be honest I didn't feel like going back to the Earth Kingdom after everything with Kuvira... at least not right away. I'll probably head over there to help Prince Wu once I leave the Fire Nation."

Iroh looked intently at his cup of tea and there was a trace of disdain in his tone as he replied "Ah yes, Wu's plan to turn the Earth Kingdom into democratic city-states. I'm a little surprised that you would be helping with this folly."

Korra bristled at the jabs he had just thrown out and she sat up straighter "Folly? Helping the Earth Kingdom evolve is folly?"

Iroh's tone was genial to Korra's ears but his words were anything but "Dethroning the monarchy and giving people the right to hold elections sounds great to the population at large and it may even be beneficial at first but in the long run it'll prove to be a mistake. The problem with democracy is that it'll inherently become corrupt as politicians begin selling themselves to the highest bidder."

"And what kind of government do you prefer? Despots? Monarchs?" Korra openly scowled at her dinner partner sitting across the table from her. Iroh started to reply but the waiter reappeared with a pair of plates in hand. The sausage occupied most of Korra's plate but it also held peeled lychee nuts and rice cakes shaped like an oval. And for some reason there was also a jug of milk as well. As for Iroh, his clams had been wrapped in dough before being fried and there was a small cup of noodles along with a mound of rice beneath the clams.

"I feel that the ideal system of rule is to have a benevolent dictator yes. A single leader can have more of an impact on improving his people's quality of life than any bloated mess of an elected government ever could."

Korra picked up her knife and fork as she sliced off a piece of the sausage and took a bite. She had heard stories that Fire Nation food was spicy but some things had to be experienced firsthand. The kick started in the roof of her mouth but quickly raced upwards through her sinuses and in seconds Korra's eyes were watering. Iroh must have been expecting a reaction like this as he had poured out some of the milk into a cup and was holding it towards her. Korra grabbed it immediately and chugged it down, the white liquid coming as a great relief. Iroh gestured at her shallow bowl of honey "Dip your sausage in that before eating it and use the milk if it's not enough."

She very hesitantly tried it on the next piece fearing it wouldn't work but the added sugar was enough to make it tolerable but only barely. Korra followed it up with a drink of tea before she recalled where the conversation had been before the spices attacked "Just like Kuvira? I don't need to tell you how that worked out."

Iroh shrugged his shouldersm an unusually dismissive response for someone who had come a hair's breadth away from being vaporized by Kuvira's spirit energy cannon during her attack on Republic City. "Can dictators be corrupt? Absolutely and she's a perfect example of what happens when a dictator gets out of control but if we're being objective then we should look at a dictator at the other end of the spectrum."

She rolled her eyes at that "So is this where you bring up your mother or grandfather?"

The general shook his head after swallowing a piece of clam meat "No, not them. I was actually thinking of you _Avatar_ Korra."

That took her aback "What? Me? That doesn't make any sense. I'm not the leader of anyone and I don't rule anything. I am _not_ a dictator."

He took another sip of tea and started pouring more out for himself "Aren't you? Nobody chooses whose going to be the Avatar. They aren't elected or chosen by anything other than mere chance of birth. But the ability to bend all the elements gives them nearly unlimited power to say nothing of the social status the Avatar holds in all the nations. And if that weren't enough, you're of royal blood even if you hadn't been the Avatar. Your father was once first in line to be Chieftain of the Northern Water Tribe. If things had gone differently you'd be his heir right now."

Korra's fork stopped en route to her mouth. "I'm not going to lie and say any of that isn't true but I still don't think I'm a dictator. I might have power but I only use it if I have to."

Their waiter made his third appearance of the evening and he offered a folded note towards Korra. She reached out and took it hesitantly. "What's this?"

The waiter pointed with his fingers together to indicate an older looking man with more salt than pepper in his hair seated not too far away. "From the gentleman." Korra unfolded the message and began reading.

' _Greetings Avatar Korra,_

 _My name is Luzon and I'm the headmaster of the Iba Academy, one of the firebending schools in the city. Word of your arrival has been spreading throughout the city today and I would like to beseech a favor. It has been a long time since the Avatar has graced our city and I would be honored if you would hold a seminar for my students.'_

After she finished reading Korra set the note down in the middle of the table. "Do you wish to write a reply madam?"

She pursed her lips for a moment as she considered the man's request "Tell him I accept his offer but only if students from all the other academies nearby are invited."

"Very good madam." With that he was moving away to whisper her reply to the headmaster. After a minute Luzon nodded and he raised his drink towards her as their eyes met across the room.

Iroh gestured at the note "May I?" Korra shrugged and he picked it up then tucked it into one pocket after reading it. "A seminar by the Avatar herself. There's going to be quite a large crowd showing up for this. I'm tempted to attend myself though I'm not sure you'll like that after our conversation here. I have to apologize for tonight, I was hoping to show you a good time but I let us get dragged into an argument over politics. I know my views might seem old fashioned to you but let's agree to disagree on the matter and I promise not to call you a dictator again. Perhaps we can do better another time."

Korra shoveled the last few bites of her meal down. Iroh's apology wasn't much, but it was something at least "Apology accepted. Thanks for dinner. Is my ride still out there?"

The man who had dropped her off was still waiting behind the wheel of his car in the parking lot. A short drive later and Korra was at the villa where she and Asami were staying. Asami had gotten home first and was curled up on a couch, book in hand. She looked up as Korra came inside and the book slipped out of her fingers to land on the floor when saw just what the Avatar looked like in that dress.

Asami's mouth opened and shut more than once before she remembered how to form words and something came out "Where did you get that dress? What have you been doing?"

Korra grimaced. Where to begin?


	7. Taking the First Step (smut)

Authors Note: I posted this in the first chapter but just as a reminder, chapters containing smut be designated as such in the title.

* * *

When Asami had gotten home, Korra was nowhere to be found and the chef was just leaving the villa. He had left some a bowl of candy he called fire gummies and fruit tarts out for them in the event that they might want something to snack on however. The candies were spicier than what Asami was accustomed to but nothing she couldn't handle. She grabbed a handful and started looking through the house in hopes of finding something to occupy her while waiting for the Avatar to return. After a bit she found a small bookcase full of leather bound novels. Asami grabbed one and settled down on a couch, that like the book, was covered in leather but a much more supple and comfortable kind.

There wasn't any kind of synopsis and the book's title didn't give any hint about what the story was. Asami was a fast reader though and the first chapter were enough to quickly give her an idea. The writing was rather florid and the dialogue was ham-fisted and cheesy but in a so terrible you can't stop reading kind of way. The novel had a veneer of a plot, an ex-pirate overreaching his station for the hand of a governor's daughter, but it was more of an excuse for the bawdy scenes contained within. She had just gotten halfway through the first one when Korra returned.

It had been four years since the two of them had first met in Republic City at a gala thrown by then Councilman Tarrlok. Korra had been wearing a dress at that event but it had been quite tame like everything else Asami had ever seen her wearing. But the dress Korra had on now was anything but tame. The bare shoulders, how it hugged her hips and the way it accented her cleavage... The Avatar looked absolutely ravishing.

Asami's book slipped out of her fingers to fall on the floor and her mouth worked silently until she could muster the self control to say something. "Where did you get that dress? What have you been doing?"

Korra grimaced and lowered herself onto the arm of the couch Asami was curled up on as she began to walk through everything that had happened since they parted ways earlier. An assassination attempt, the tailor and then dinner with Iroh. Asami knew it was awful but Machi's attempt at murder seemed so inept that it barely merited comment. The tailor and Iroh were far more intriguing to her. "So she said that women there get measured without their clothes on? I've never heard of a tailor who does it like that. I've always had my underwear on when being measured."

The Avatar frowned at the implication of that. "Well maybe they do it differently in the Fire Nation? She did say this dress was made for wearing without a bra but this feels sketchy now."

Asami leaned forward to study the neckline of Korra's dress for a moment. "It could be but this dress has a support system that I can see and it looks like it has cups sewn into it as well. It does sound weird Korra but I think it could be innocent and to be honest maybe that is how they do it in the Fire Nation. Tell me about this dinner with Iroh. What did you eat? What did you talk about?"

The way Korra hunched her shoulders at that was almost as telling as what she said next "We kinda got into an argument about politics. I mentioned maybe heading to the Earth Kingdom to help Prince Wu with the elections, he called them stupid and things kinda escalated from there."

She could have pried further but somehow she had the feeling doing so would only agitate Korra "OK then. What did you eat? I've had some Fire Nation food at Kwong's before but I've always wondered how genuine it was."

"I had some sausage, it was good but so spicy I had to dip it in honey and drink milk to handle it. Umm I also had lychee nuts and rice cakes. Iroh had clams, a cup of noodles and rice. We also had some ginseng tea."

"Did Iroh order all this?" Korra nodded and Asami giggled a bit "Did he ever compliment you Korra?"

The look of confusion on the Avatar's face was rather endearing in how innocent minded it was "Did he compliment me? He said I looked downright amazing... what are you getting at?"

Asami couldn't keep a straight face any longer and she started holding her sides as her laughter spiraled out of control as Korra looked at her bewildered "Ordering sausage and clams was innuendo, saying you looked amazing. He was hitting on you Korra and you didn't pick up on it. He might even have been trying to bed you if I had to guess."

Korra's look of confusion slowly disappeared and there was a brief moment of introspection before a look of horror dawned on her face as she realized how oblivious she had been. Iroh had sent her to the tailor to get a dress, he had chosen the restaurant, ordered their food and even hinted at another dinner just before she had left. She put one palm over her face and shook her head from side to side "I guess I should be flattered but he's twice my age and I... just... no."

The Avatar glanced around the room and her gaze fell on the book as she looked for a way to change the subject. "What are you reading?" Asami tried to pick it up but Korra was too quick for her and the novel fell open to the page Asami had been at when Korra had returned, to that first lurid scene between the ex-pirate and the governor's daughter. Korra lifted an eyebrow as she read the lewd but overly flowery descriptions of their midnight meeting beneath the moon while Asami fidgeted on the couch at having been caught.

That morning after Asami had left to find a bathroom in the palace and Korra had been left alone in that room where the erotic mover had been played. She had turned it back on and sat there listening and watching as the blonde moaned from the tongue lapping away between her legs. It was the first time she had ever seen another person wholly without their clothes on let alone doing something like this. A part of her was whispering that this was something indecent and immoral but the sweet sounds coming from the speakers had awoken a part of herself that she had never known about. And it was that part of her that wanted to be in the same position as that woman in the mover had been, legs spread open with someone's tongue _there_.

It was an image and yearning that had only gotten stronger throughout the day. Standing bare-chested in the tailors, the realization that Iroh had been flirting with her and now she had caught Asami reading the same act that Korra had watched but in words instead of images.

A minute passed before Korra closed the book and tossed it to the far end of the couch. Asami started to stammer out an explanation but the Avatar silenced her with an abrupt kiss on the lips. It was a moment she had imagined and dreamt about for years and now it was suddenly here. The taste of Korra's mouth against hers, the feel of her fingers in Asami's hair and the warmth of the Avatar's body pressing against her as Korra pulled her up off the couch and into her. But there was a single flaw marring the moment and one that made her ever so reluctantly pull away no matter how desperately she wanted to stay right where she was. "Korra, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like Asami? I want... I want you to come upstairs with me and share my bed tonight."

It was such a sudden turn of events that she couldn't believe what she had just heard "I don't understand. You told me that you weren't ready for a relationship with me barely three days ago, that you had issues because I'm a woman and we couldn't have children. Now you're asking me to sleep with you?"

Korra leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together "I know what I said but I know I want this. You. More than anything." She started planting kisses all over Asami's face as she continued to beg. "Please. I'm offering myself to you here, whatever you want I'll do. Anything."

Asami knew she shouldn't as tempted as she was but the truth was that she did want this and had wanted it for so long that mustering the sheer will to say no was one of the most trying things she had ever done "You say that but you don't have any idea what offering to do anything I want means. There's a rabbit hole here that you don't know about and it goes pretty deep."

Maybe it was the glint in Asami's eyes or the way her voice sounded but there was something present Korra had never seen before and it was enough to make her slow to a stop. "What do you mean there's a rabbit hole? What are you talking about?"

She put one hand on Korra's cheek as she cupped the Avatar's face "If you want to know then I'll explain but keep in mind I'm not trying to pressure you in any way. Whatever you decide is entirely your decision. If you're interested then we'll go down this road together. If you're not then I'll abide by your choice. And it _is_ your choice."

There was a weight and feel to Asami's words that Korra hadn't ever heard before. She could sense that she was on the cusp of something significant but couldn't fathom what it was but she needed to know "Tell me."

Asami looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath before she lowered her hands to her lap and began "I'll spare you the story of how I got into this fetish for now since I don't know if you'll be interested or not. There's a couple of different names but they basically mean the same thing. I just call it bondage but others prefer the term BDSM but that's an umbrella term. I could spend all night trying to explain all the different kinks and what not but the common element is restraints."

Korra quizzically tilted her head to the side "Restraints? What, like handcuffs?"

The Avatar got a nod in response "Basically yes. Handcuffs are a common one but there's a lot more elaborate get ups and devices that can be used."

"I don't understand, what does this have to do with sex?"

Asami laughed, more at herself than anything "Oh I'm not explaining this very well. Bondage is about using restraints to help enhance sex, to make it more interesting. It's about giving up control and putting yourself in a vulnerable position."

"No offense Asami but that seems like a good way to get into trouble. Just letting people tie you up like that is a really bad idea. They could do whatever they wanted and you wouldn't be able to stop them."

If Korra had expected Asami to be bothered by that then she was disappointed "That's a common fear and a very valid one. But that's where the most important part of it all comes in. Trust. People who have bondage as part of their sex life are able to do it because of trust. Trusting themselves and their partner, trusting that they can safely put themselves into another persons control without fear of getting hurt... unless that's what they're into which some people are."

"And this is what you want to do with me? Tie me up and so on?" asked Korra.

Asami brought her hands back up to Korra's face as she kissed those lips in front of her "It's like I said, if you want to do this then we will. If not then we won't, it's entirely up to you." She blushed before continuing "But if you really want me to take you upstairs right now then I will. Whatever you decide."

The room was silent except for the rhythmic ticking of a grandfather clock as Korra weighed the options before her. Minutes passed before she turned back to Asami "I can't say I'm not apprehensive but I'm willing to give this a try at the very least... How do we… do this?"

She gave Korra a small smile before slipping one hand under the Avatar's knees and putting her other arm behind Korra's back as Asami lifted her off the couch. "I'll explain in my room." Korra reached up to wrap her arms around Asami's neck and she pulled herself up to kiss Asami as she was carried up the stairs and carefully laid down on the bed. "If I had known this was going to happen then I would have brought some of my restraints and toys. I'd love nothing more than to do a proper scene with you right now but I don't have anything to work with."

Korra's face started to fall so Asami was quick to explain what she had in mind "That doesn't mean we're not going to do anything, just that we're going to lay some groundwork and do a bit of... research tonight."

She put her hands on the edge of the bed and looked down at the Avatar's prone figure "I'll explain this in more detail later on but for right now all you need to know is that you're my sub and I'm your dom. That means I'm the one in charge and you're going to obey my instructions. Do you understand?"

Korra nodded slowly but there was still a glimmer of reluctance in her eyes. Asami knelt on the bed next to her and put one hand on Korra's bare shoulder "If you don't want to do this then say Red. That's your safeword and if you choose to use it then I stop whatever I'm doing and the scene is over. But if you're still determined then call me Mistress and I'll begin."

She didn't quite know what was going to happen here but Asami had spoken of trust and that had been the question Korra had asked herself. Did she trust Asami with this? They had been rivals during the earliest days but had ended up becoming allies in battle and later close friends. And now Korra had been faced with the decision to become something more, what exactly she wasn't sure. But the answer was an easy one to find. Yes, she trusted this woman, for better or for worse and the word came to her lips as she crossed the threshold to find out what lay in store for her. "Mistress."

Asami reached down to lift Korra's back up off the bed and up onto her knees. She worked her way around on the bed until she was kneeling behind the Avatar and in position to get started. Her arms wrapped themselves around Korra's waist and she pulled the woman into her "As I said earlier I don't have any equipment with me here but we can still have a bit of fun pet. You're going to sit still unless I tell you otherwise and we're going to find out what sort of things you might enjoy."

She trembled lightly as Asami kissed her neck, a pleasant warmth spreading out from it. The idea of doing nothing had never been one to appeal to her historically but the sensation of those lips moving down her neck and onto her shoulder was quickly calming her nerves. Asami rubbed the muscles at the base of Korra's neck for a moment before gliding her palms down each of Korra's arms until their fingers were touching. They interlaced for a moment and Asami squeezed Korra's digits before letting go. One hand made it's way to Korra's back and she could hear the zipper being undone before the hand came back as Asami pulled the dress down to her waist.

For the second time that day, Korra was bare chested in front of another woman but the two experiences couldn't have been more different. It had been awkward at the tailor's shop but this moment here with Asami was the exact opposite. Kneeling there half naked next as her newfound lover caressed her was making her chest rise and fall as her breathing quickened. Asami's hands rose upwards from the dress to take a breast in each hand and gently squeeze. A soft gasp broke free from Korra's lips as those fingers slowly tightened and let go over and over and Asami's hot breath tickled her ear when she spoke "That sounds promising. How about this?"

The fingers stopped squeezing her breasts and Korra felt them move to roughly pinch her nipples between their tips. She instantly let out a small cry and grabbed Asami's wrists to pull her hands away "That hurts, don't do that."

Asami dropped her chin onto Korra's shoulder "Okay I won't do that anymore and I'm sorry I hurt you but the only way to figure something like that out is for it happen once. Do you want to stop or keep going?"

Korra took a few deep breathes and she gingerly rubbed at her chest "We can keep going but warn me if you're going to do something that could hurt next time."

Once Korra had stopped soothing her chest Asami wrapped her arms around the Avatar's waist "Okay pet, for this you're going to spread your knees wider then lift your dress up for me and hold it there."

Korra trembled again for a moment as she realized what Asami was planning to do but it wasn't from being nervous, it was anticipation. She reached down and grabbed the skirt of her dress pulling it up to her waist giving access to her underwear and more importantly what was beneath it. Asami squeezed one of Korra's breasts again before pressing her hand flat against Korra's midriff and it slowly but inexorably moved downwards. That hand started trailing one finger along the edge of Korra's trunks while the other rubbed the inside of one thigh. Eventually though Asami stopped teasing what was to come and her hand plunged underneath the elastic band to Korra's center. The Avatar's hips shook at first contact and she started moaning as Asami's fingers played with her. They stroked and squeezed, pushed and pulled but they only stayed at the surface, never moving to enter her. It was enough though to gradually push her over the edge. Korra's legs quivered and she felt her body tense up as the tingling and heat in her groin overflowed outwards in a long rolling wave.

After a minute she turned to look over her shoulder to see Asami watching with a soft smile on her face. "Are we done? … Mistress"

Asami started to shake her head then stopped, an unsure expression on her face "Well maybe... there _is_ one place I haven't tried yet but it's a lot more intrusive than what I've done so far. Some people like it but a lot of people don't and it's more difficult then vaginal or breast play."

Korra drummed her fingers against her thigh as she thought it over before making up her mind "Let's try it. If I don't like it then I'll use my safeword. That's what it's for right?"

Her mistress nodded slowly "All right then, but don't hesitate to let me know if this grosses you out or if anything hurts." Asami put her hands on Korra's shoulder and the back of her head and gently pushed until her face was on the mattress and her rear in the air. Korra turned her head to one side so that she could look back at Asami but her now raised bottom blocked her view and she would only know what was happening by feel. One of Asami's hands lightly slapped against one cheek and Korra jumped away in surprise before settling back into position. A second slap, as light as the first, and then a third elicited a small cooing sound out of Korra but she inched her way a little closer to Asami as the other woman continued to softly spank her. After the blows came to an end Asami's hands began massaging away the gentle sting she had inflicted. Korra's hips had more than their fair share of muscles but there was still ample padding on each cheek for Asami to sink her fingers into. It was painstaking work that required the utmost attention to detail but the ordeal of inspecting every centimeter of these cheeks was a sacrifice she was more than willing to pay. And it wasn't a thankless task either as soon the Avatar was rewarding her efforts with low moans and Korra was reaching back with one hand to press Asami's fingers even tighter into her bottom. Sensing the time was right, Asami moved onto the final step of this particular process.

She had been warned that this was considered intrusive and gross by some but Korra couldn't see how people would be bothered by someone playing with their buttocks. It wasn't as good as Asami's fingers on her crotch had been but plenty of fun in its own right. At least that had been the case while Asami had been fondling her but now she had stopped squeezing her cheeks and her hands had ceased moving. Soon enough one of them stirred and began creeping inwards. Progress was frustratingly slow going and soon enough Korra realized why Asami was taking so long. Those fingers were heading for a very specific spot and Asami was giving her the chance to stop it. A place that Korra had never imagined another person touching in any manner, never mind sexually. Asami's hand stopped just shy of its destination to silently give Korra one last chance to say no but the Avatar remained quiet and kept perfectly still. Waiting.

Now that assent to Korra's other hole had been given, albeit silently, Asami leapt into action. One hand pressed down on her flesh to spread those cheeks a little wider while the thumb on Asami's other hand pushed down through the cotton of her underwear. Korra's whole body shivered as the thumb started to slowly trace circles along the outside and a low gasp burst free from Korra's lips. It wasn't her first sound of pleasure but this moan was sweeter by far and much more ragged sounding than the others had been. Asami smiled and pressed down harder against the white fabric for a moment then pulled her hand away after the Avatar groaned even louder in response.

Korra pushed herself up on one arm and she looked back at Asami in dismay "Why did you stop? Keep going, that feels really good."

Asami just shook her head, a teasing smile on her lips "There's no reason to. Tonight was the first step in figuring out what you enjoy and we just did. I could do more but we're going to wait until we get back to Republic City before going any further." She crawled forward until Korra's body was directly underneath her and Asami pulled the Avatar's back into her chest as she rolled them onto their sides. "I promise you we will go further but not here."

Waiting. Korra had always hated waiting.


	8. No Good Deed

By the time Korra woke sunlight was streaming through the blinds covering the window of Asami's bedroom. She murmured a bit but there was no conviction to her complaint about the bands of light falling across her face. Truth be told she was feeling as rested and full of energy as she had in a long while. The last time Korra had felt this good in the morning had been several long years ago in the days before she had left the South Pole for Republic City. "Morning sleepyhead." Asami's voice drifted in from somewhere nearby.

Korra sat up to see the source of her contentedness this morning sitting down on the edge of the bed, two steaming mugs in hand. Asami held one of the cups out to Korra. "Got some jasmine tea from the cook downstairs, figured it'd help you wake up."

Korra gratefully took the mug in both hands taking a little sip to test the temperature before downing some more of the hot liquid. "So about last night... where do we stand now Asami?"

Asami took the opportunity to drink from her own cup before answering the question. "That's up to you Korra. I meant it when I said that whatever we do is your choice. If you're having second thoughts about this then I understand. We did rush into things awfully fast last night. If I did something that bothered you then I apologize."

The Avatar shook her head vehemently. "No no no no. The only thing that really bothered me was that you stopped when you were... touching me... down there." Korra's eyes flicked down towards her hips then back to Asami's face.

Asami gave a small smile in response but one that was full of promise. "Don't worry Korra. We'll be doing more of that but not until we get back to my house." Korra felt a warm tingle of electricity running down her spine at the guarantee she had been given but one that wasn't unwelcome after the brief touches from last night. "Anyways, you got a letter Korra." Asami pulled an envelope sealed with wax out of her back pocket. "Who is Luzon?"

It took Korra more than a few seconds to remember who that name belonged to. Everything from the previous day was a blur already. Well everything from before that first kiss that was. "Luzon... he's the head of some firebending school here. He asked me to teach a seminar while I was here and I said yes."

She grabbed the letter from Asami and cracked the seal open to read the message inside. "He scheduled the seminar for this afternoon? Kinda short notice but I already said I'd do it. So what are you doing today Asami? Feel like watching me kick a bunch of Fire Nation butt?"

"I won't lie, that does sound kinda fun." Asami admitted. "But I already paid for a second day of lessons at the Academy for Girls and they don't give refunds. But I'll see you tonight okay? We can have dinner together if you want."

Korra gave a rueful smile. "Okay, I'll see you then." After Asami was gone Korra forced herself to get out from between the sheets and head to the bathroom for a shower. Asami must have let the chef know that Korra was awake because there was a bowl of apple slices and ash bananas on the living room table. Next to it was a plate of buns drizzled in honey along with a large glass of water. The clock in this room read that it an hour before noon and Korra had plenty of time to kill until she needed to get a cab for the seminar. Luzon had included an address but it meant nothing to her so she would need to leave earlier to make sure she arrived at the time the firebending instructor had specified for her.

After finishing her food she started to take the plates back to the kitchen but the chef came flying out in a fit of dismay that the Avatar was trying to clean up after herself. Korra tried to argue with him but the man refused to budge and eventually she threw her hands up in the air and gave up. It was still early but without anything else to do she decided to just head over to Luzon's academy. One short phone call brought a cab to the villa and she was dropped off a few minutes later.

The academy couldn't have stood out more from all of the graceful and elaborately constructed buildings present everywhere else in the capital city. Those other buildings soared upwards as they reached up towards the sky and cast shadows as intricate looking as themselves upon everything below. This thing was just squat ugly looking slabs of concrete thrown together to form a square without any kind of decorations or even anything resembling a window on the outside. There was a hole in the shape of a door cut into the front leading into a hallway heading off to the right. Korra followed it along until it opened up into a large open area in what must be the middle of the building.

Men and women ranging in age from young children to those in their twilight years stood facing each other in two lines reaching from one wall to the other and she could see Luzon standing behind one as he observed their firebending. Red and yellow bursts of flame flew back and forth as the students practiced their form under his critical eye. Most of the flames were blocked but a scant few slipped past the lines to add to the legion of burn marks that had accrued over the years or perhaps decades on these walls. As Korra watched from the sidelines, it quickly became apparent that all of them were practicing the same form and that they were taking turns to throw their attack. It was vaguely hypnotic to watch them drill their techniques in a way. Assuming the proper stance, thrusting your fist outwards to send a ball of fire at your opponent who would block it and continue the cycle by attacking in turn. Her own training had been done differently but this form was quite similar to the one Korra had learned when she had been trying to master firebending back at the compound in the South Pole. But her presence couldn't go unnoticed forever and one of the students came to a sudden stop mid attack as she noticed Korra leaning against the side of the entryway as she watched them. The firebending student raised her arm and waved. "Master Luzon, she's here!"

Luzon looked away from his students to confirm that the Avatar really was there before he clapped his hands once. "Class dismissed, remember the seminar is today. Michi, go find Ifuago and send him to make sure everything has been taken care of." The woman who had spotted Korra bowed to Luzon and hurried off as the other students left en masse leaving just her and the academy's head instructor in the room. Luzon leaned heavily on his case as he made his way over to where she was standing and held fist to chest as he bowed to her. "Allow me to welcome you to the Iba Academy Avatar Korra. I apologize for not greeting you sooner but I wasn't expecting you to arrive until this afternoon."

Now that he was up close, the lines on his face were evident along with how much he was relying on the cane to support his weight. Luzon had seemed to be an older man last night but she had underestimated his age by at least a couple of decades if not more. Korra shrugged her shoulders. "I know but I thought I'd show up early and take the time to decide what I'm going to teach at this seminar. It's such short notice that I haven't had any time to figure anything out. Do you have anything in mind? This was your idea and all."

"As a matter of fact I do Avatar Korra. I would like your seminar to be about metalbending."

She tilted her head to the side, her mouth opening in disbelief. "Metalbending. I don't understand, what would you get out of me talking about metalbending? It's not your element."

The instructor started to answer her before closing his mouth and considering her in silence. Eventually he pointed with his cane at another one of the doorways in the room. "Come with me to my office, I have something to show you."

He may have called it an office but it was really more of a showcase for the Iba Academy. Trophies of various sizes and shapes sat behind panes of glass on three of the room's four walls. The fourth wall held framed photographs and drawings of people she didn't recognize except for the one in the very center. A woman with black hair and clouded eyes dressed in a suit made of metal. Korra blinked several times in surprise before turning to the instructor. "That's Toph. Why do you have a picture of Toph Beifong in your office?"

Luzon edged his way behind his desk as he gratefully sat down on the chair there. "I have a photo of Toph here because she was the greatest bender I have ever encountered. All of Avatar Aang's companions achieved great renown but Toph had the greatest limitation and her contribution to bending will last beyond anything the rest of them accomplished."

A piece of the puzzle clicked into place for Korra and she couldn't help but view the old man in front of her in a different light now. "The greatest bender that you ever encountered? But the only times Toph was ever in the Fire Nation were... You were on the other side during the Hundred Year War."

He grimaced, but whether it was at the memory of his past or the newly arrived dislike in Korra's voice she couldn't say. "I was a very different person when I was young. A fresh new promising young officer in the Fire Nation army ready to take part in what I thought was an invasion of the Earth Kingdom. I'm sure you know the story Avatar Korra. A fleet of airships that was destroyed by Suki, Sokka and Toph while Ozai and Avatar Aang fought at Wulong Forest. That day changed the lives of everyone in the world, including my own. I had the power of Sozin's Comet within me and it didn't matter in the slightest. A young girl who couldn't see defeated me in seconds using an ability I didn't know existed. Ever since then I have hoped for a chance to study it and perhaps learn how to fight those who control metal but the years have passed me by and I never had the opportunity but now my students do."

"Why would you care so much about learning how to fight metalbenders?" asked Korra. "There aren't exactly a lot of metalbenders in the Fire Nation these days and you've been at peace with Republic City and the Earth Kingdom for decades."

"For the challenge of it. I may be a firebender but I am also a warrior, at least in spirit these days. Toph invented something new. Something both powerful and hard to fight against which makes learning how to do so all the more worthwhile because it is so difficult."

Korra shook her head as she acceded to his request. "Well... I can bend metal but I've never taught any kind of class like this before so try not to expect too much from this."

Luzon pushed himself out of his chair and back onto his feet. "Fortunately for us I have a great deal of experience as a teacher and we still have a few hours until the seminar begins. Shall we?" He gestured towards the doorway where the practice floor waited for them. What Korra had said earlier was true, that she hadn't had time to plan a lesson but between the two of them, mostly from Luzon's suggestions, they were able to hash something out before the seminar's appointed time drew near.

Half an hour before the appointed time, one of Luzon's students joined them on the floor. Korra wasn't short by any means but the top of her head fell short of this man's shoulders and his muscles were sharply defined even through the shirt he wore. The student, who Luzon introduced as Ifuago looked down at her with a smirk reminiscent of the cockiness Machi had exhibited. "So this is the great Avatar Korra? I thought you'd be taller."

Korra's back stiffened in indignation at the barbed comment but Luzon reacted faster than she did as his cane whipped up off the ground to land against Ifuago's back with a resounding crack that echoed off the walls. "You forget yourself Ifuago! You may be my prize pupil but that doesn't give you the right to insult our honored guest so. Apologize."

If the blow had hurt Ifuago gave no sign as he knelt on the floor and bowed towards Korra. "Forgive my foolishness Avatar Korra. I let my excitement over this seminar get the better of me today."

She folded her arms and sighed as she considered the kowtowing firebender. "Fine. But try to think before you speak next time."

Ifuago dipped his head once more and Luzon gently pulled her a short distance away and spoke in a low voice as he implored her. "Try not to hold this against him Avatar Korra. He recently took first place in a very prestigious firebending competition and I fear it has gone to his head. But we need to be going now if we're going to be on time for the seminar."

Korra glanced around the empty room for a second. "You're not holding it here? This was the address you gave me in that letter."

Luzon shook his head. "That was my plan but I grossly underestimated how many people would be attending and it was relocated to a place that has enough room for everyone. If you'll come with us to the car then we'll be on our way."

The place in question was a wide open plaza flanked on three sides by ascending rows of benches for viewers to sit upon. There was a large square billboard painted white standing on two posts and she could see some sort of camera setup in the far corner opposite it. And the seats were far from empty, at first glance Korra guessed that around two to three hundred people were already in the seats with more still arriving every minute. She turned towards Luzon "How are there so many people here? I just agreed to do this last night, it hasn't even been twenty four hours yet."

She got a slight grin in response from the elderly instructor. "News of your arrival yesterday took the city by storm Avatar Korra. Everyone heard that you were here within the hour and I contacted the other academies as soon as I could last night. Word about this spread very quickly. Many of the people here now aren't even benders, they're just people wanting to see the show."

A smile that couldn't have felt more fake plastered itself across Korra's face as the realization of what she had walked into set in. It had been a spur of the moment decision to teach a firebending seminar but now she was about to help a group of firebenders learn how to better combat metalbending today. However the oddest thing of all was that a significant portion of her audience weren't even benders in the first place. But it was too late to back out now and Luzon was handing her a clip-on microphone to attach to her shirt. Luzon looked at his pocket watch and gestured to Ifuago who approached Korra with a stack of thin shining steel bars of varying shapes and sizes. "If you don't mind Avatar Korra, Ifuago has volunteered to be your partner for the demonstration. Ordinarily I would ask you to do sparring sessions after the seminar but there are so many people here that it's simply not feasible. But now it's time to begin so please excuse me Avatar Korra." He bowed to her and walked away to sit on one of the front rows nearby.

As she took the metal bars and began to head for the middle of the plaza, a larger than life image of Korra appeared on the blank billboard she had noticed before. It zoomed out for a moment until Ifuago was in the shot and then continued to track them as they walked. She unceremoniously dropped the pieces of metal to the ground and reached up to her collar turn the mic on so that everyone could hear her over the plaza's speakers "Normally at an event like this I'd introduce myself but I have the feeling that all of you already know who I am." Korra waited for a few seconds as the attendees stopped speaking to each other and she could feel the eyes of everyone fixed upon her as she continued. "Master Luzon of the Iba Academy made a request of me today that I've agreed to. My original intention for this seminar was to discuss firebending and how I've used it in the course of my duties as Avatar. Instead we're going to discuss metalbending and the best ways of countering it."

Korra extended one hand toward the pile of metal near her and several pieces of it floated into the air and slowly began orbiting in a wide circle around her torso. She gestured towards Ifuago who bent his knees and extended his hands in front of him. Without warning Korra stamped one foot onto the ground and the dirt beneath his feet lurched up and to one side sending him sprawling onto his back. "The first thing to know when dealing with metalbenders is that they were earthbenders before they learned to bend metal. Everything you know about fighting an earthbender is still relevant. If Ifuago hadn't been so busy watching these pieces of metal then he could have avoided my attack just now."

Her partner in this little exercise clambered back to his feet and taken up the same stance as before but there was a rigidity to his muscles that had been missing the first time. Korra curled the fingers on one hand into a fist and the largest metal pieces flew up and came together to form a crude metal suit covering her torso "This is a bad example but metalbenders commonly wear suits of armor or include metal as part of their outfit. This serves two purposes for them. The first is that it helps to protect them from enemy attacks much like any kind of armor should. The second is that it provides them a readily available source of metal if they need it. Kuvira, for example, wore strips of metal on her arms, wrists and shoulders that she would use in combat. But before we get to fighting styles, there's one more thing to keep in mind, namely the area around you. Metalbenders can't bend platinum but they can use any other kind of metal. Iron, steel, copper, tin, bronze, – you name it and they can use it. It doesn't matter where the metal is or where it comes from, if it's there then they can use it. Cars, statues, buildings, power lines, the metal rods in concrete, metal weapons, the buttons on your clothing or even something as small as a zipper could be used against you."

She took a moment to pause in her monologue both to let her words sink in and to see if there was any kind of response from the crowd. Korra wasn't really sure what she was expecting, not cheers to be sure but something. Anything other than this near total silence and people occasionally turning to whisper to each other with mouth hidden behind one hand. After a moment she kept herself from shaking her head and started to move on. "So there's a couple of common things that metalbenders do when they attack. The first is projectiles. It's kinda like dealing with icicles or rocks but there's one major difference in that the projectile can't be turned into vapor or broken. And if you dodge it there's nothing stopping the metalbender from just using it to attack you from behind. Another thing that's less common but can still happen is a metalbender creating a makeshift knife or sword and using that to fight in close quarters. But above all else, the most important thing is this."

Korra turned back towards Ifuago and began flinging the strips of metal at him. He gamely dodged the first three and deflected the fourth but the fifth snapped shut around his ankle. Seconds later and he was hanging upside down in the air and facing away from Korra, helpless to do anything to save himself. Korra pointed at Ifuago as she turned to face each of the stands in turn as she spoke. "The most important thing to remember when dealing with metalbenders is this. The first thing they'll attempt to do is to ensnare you however they can. And when that happens you'd better hope you're a metalbender yourself or the battle is over. Once you're trapped they have total control over whatever they hit. If it's an arm or a leg then you won't be able to use it anymore and that spells defeat. And this isn't something I've seen myself but I've been told Kuvira was fond of going for the head and using metal as a blindfold on people she fought against."

The Avatar waved her hand towards her so-called 'victim' and he floated back down towards the ground and the metal trapping his leg came loose. Korra turned towards the side of the plaza that Luzon had seated himself "That covers some of the more basic concepts of metalbending but I'm going to show these concepts in action before we move onto more advanced techniques."

Once again, Ifuago readied himself to fight but his face was red and his eyes glittered strangely in the sunlight. Korra started to put her hands up but Ifuago leapt on the offensive before they had finished making their way to chest level. Luzon had said his student had just won a major competition but the speed and power of his attacks still took her by surprise. Front kicks, quick jabs, wild overhands and spinning kicks to send out scorching arcs of golden blazes at the Avatar. Korra retreated a step or two at a time from each attack drawing ever closer to the crowd as Ifuago pushed her back.

Firebenders behind her began to leap forward to the front of the stands but only to dissipate the bursts of flame that flew past their target. Korra came to a stop within arms reach of the spectators and she could hear shrieks behind her from people scrambling out of the way as the barrage of attacks kept on coming, heedless of any potential collateral damage they might cause. Ifuago paused for half a second to smirk at her and Korra had the opening she had been waiting for. A rock the size of a car's tire shot up into the air in front of Korra before darting towards Ifuago who immediately moved to shatter it with one brawny fist. As he did so, three bands of metal hidden behind it flew through the fragments and latched onto their targets. Seconds later he was pinned down to the ground with some new jewelry on his outstretched wrists and his eyes were covered by a strip of steel keeping him from seeing anything.

Korra took a deep breath feeling a rush of relief that he had made a mistake in choosing to try and gloat over what had seemed like victory. If Ifuago had kept up the attack then she would have been forced to cheat and use an element that wasn't earth or metal in order to protect the crowd behind her. Luzon certainly hadn't exaggerated the strength of his student, if anything he had sold him short. She turned back to the crowd which was slowly beginning to settle itself back down after that not so little fight. "So that was a bit more intense than what I was expecting but if you were looking to see what a fire vs metal fight looks like then you just got it." She flicked her fingers towards Ifuago to release the binds holding him down. Korra started to pull the metal outfit she had improvised off when there was a gasp from the crowd. She turned her head over her shoulder to see what was going on and the world fell silent as time seemingly slowed to a crawl.

A coruscating cluster of blinding bluish-white forks were arcing out from the fingertips of the firebender she had just beaten and released. As the lightning slammed into her, every hair on Korra's body stood at attention and there was a sweet yet simultaneously acrid tang to the air. She staggered backwards and fell to one knee as the electricity covered her in snakes of light that writhed with wild abandon. The Avatar pointed one arm upwards and the silence was rent by the thunderous beat of an unseen drum as she sent the lightning back to its home in the blue sky above them.

By the time Korra pushed herself back up onto a pair of unsteady legs the crowd had already taken matters into their own hands. Ifuago had been forced down onto his knees and his arms were forcibly held out to the sides by a pair of men each as big as their prisoner. In front of them was her dinner partner from last night holding a sword in hand and his voice was carrying across the plaza without need of a microphone. "You have shamed yourself, your House and the entire Fire Nation by what you have done today. As Crown Prince I sentence you to death for attempting to murder the Avatar." He pointed the blade's curved end at Ifuago and placed the heel of his other hand on the pommel.

"Stop!"

The man condemned to die, his would-be executioner and everyone in the crowd stopped what they were doing to look at Korra. "You aren't killing him for this. Punishing yes but I won't let you execute him." She turned back towards the crowd. "If there's one thing I want you to learn today it's how to accept defeat. It doesn't matter how powerful or skilled you are, there's always someone who will be able to beat you. If you can't handle defeat then you are a warrior in name only."

Iroh hesitated before shoving his sword back into it's sheath and he bowed to her. "As you command Avatar Korra." The prince looked back to Ifuago. "You are without honor. I strip you of your name and rank." He pointedly turned his back and walked away. And the crowd followed suit as they started to leave the plaza in complete silence, everyone going out of their way to not look at the now nameless firebender kneeling in the dirt.


	9. Facades

"Again!? We've been here for all of two days and this is the second time someone's tried to kill you! I'm so sorry Korra. I wouldn't have asked you to come with me if I knew things like was this were going to happen." Asami had simply listened while Korra had recounted the disaster that her seminar had turned into but she hadn't been able to keep quiet when hearing what Ifuago had done.

"It's not your fault Asami. You couldn't have known that people were going to try to kill me. I still don't understand why Machi attacked me but I think today might have been my fault. This guy Ifuago, I didn't explain what I was going to do to him beforehand and he must have taken it personally. I was embarrassing him in front of a lot of people and it pushed him over the edge."

Asami folded her arms and shook her head in disbelief. "You can't be serious Korra. He attacked you with lightning, most people would have died from that and now you're defending him? I know you're trying to be more compassionate and all but justifying the actions of someone who was trying to murder you?"

Korra threw her hands up in the air. "I know it sounds crazy when you put it like that but I just feel like I drove him to it for some reason. What does being without honor mean anyways? I know honor is a big thing for them but I didn't know it could be some kind of legal punishment in the Fire Nation."

There was a long pause before Asami answered in a low voice. "Is that what happened to him? It's an old means of punishment in the Fire Nation established by Fire Lord Sozin, I didn't know they still did it. This is going to sound awful but you might have been better off letting Iroh kill him."

Just stand by and letting him die would have been the better alternative to being deemed without honor? "Why? What does it mean?"

Asami sat herself down on the couch and covered her face for a moment. "Being considered without honor means you're an outcast in the Fire Nation. You're effectively considered dead to everyone, including your family. Everyone just ignores you, they won't speak to you, look at you or do anything whatsoever with you. You can't buy or trade for anything. No food, no water, clothes or anything else. You don't exist anymore. People this has happened to usually killed themselves when they can't take it anymore or they died of starvation on the streets."

Korra frowned as she pointed out the obvious flaw to this punishment. "So he should leave. If the people in the capital won't have anything to do with him then he should go to another town. Or Republic City where people won't treat him like that."

The Avatar watched Asami shake her head sadly as she explained the consequences of that particular act. "He can't. If he leaves the capital then he'll be hunted down and... tortured to death or so the history books say. I don't actually know if they would still do that and frankly I'd rather not find out."

Asami sighed softly as she rubbed at her temples. "What do you want to do Korra? I came here to see what Izumi's offer was but that's off the table now. This whole thing hasn't been what I was expecting. I thought this would be another vacation but people are trying to kill you and there's the whole sex mover to boot. I want to go home, what do you say?"

She rubbed at her arms as she considered the idea. Everything Asami had said was true and part of her did want to leave this place behind. And yet this was her first visit to the Fire Nation and another part hated the idea of it being completely negative. Korra's head swiveled to the side when she heard the chef setting some foodstuffs down on the dining room table in the other room. "Hang on a second Asami." She hurried into the other room before he had gotten back to the kitchen "Excuse me just a second sir."

The chef came to a halt and predictably bowed at the waist keeping his eyes on the floor. "How may I be of service Avatar Korra?"

It was still something of an irritant but Korra didn't see any point in railing against the obeisance right now. "Asami and I are looking for something to do tonight, ideally within walking distance of here."

"Something to do?" Korra wasn't trying to put him on the spot or anything but the sudden sheen of sweat on his forehead was disquieting. "There are Noh plays that take place not far from here if that would interest you. My cousin is making his debut tonight. I can give you directions if you wish..." He bowed even lower if that was possible "...but you will have to write them down for I am unable to."

By the time Korra had found her way to the theater with Asami the sun had set and the shadows of night were settling over the city. The city's citronella lamps were being lit but the darkness still gave her enough cover that people couldn't recognize Korra unless they were close at hand. It was a refreshing change of pace to be somewhat anonymous and not have people making a fuss over her.

The theater was a raised platform with spherical lanterns made of stiff paper hanging from the peaked roof to illuminate it. Rows of seats had been placed on the grass in front of it and there were folded programs giving a brief rundown of the characters and plot from the play they were about to watch on each one. Korra grabbed the program and began perusing it as she sat down on the wooden chair. Asami sat down to her left as the first of the actors took the stage. All of the actors were draped in some rather outlandish looking garb, to her eyes at least. Voluminous robes as colorful as the koi fish at their villa but the masks were almost plain in comparison. The program told her that they were made from cypress wood and each had been carved into the visage of whatever character that the actor was playing at the moment, be it human, animal, spirit or demon.

As for the play itself well... Korra was glad she had the program or she wouldn't have been able to follow what was going on. There was some singing but the majority of the play was silent and relied instead on the exaggerated movements and body language of the performers to convey what was happening. Korra snuck a peek over at Asami who hadn't touched her program but appeared engrossed in what was happening on stage. At least someone was enjoying the show. She tried to follow the show for a few more minutes but by now Korra was helplessly lost in what was going on. Asami probably could have explained it if she asked her but truth be told this theater was rather boring.

The seconds slowly passed by as they became dull minutes that felt far too long for her taste. Korra fidgeted a bit in her chair, earning a sidelong glance from Asami and what seemed like a tiny grin at her discomfort. Up on stage the actors were taking a bow and Korra looked at Asami in surprise. "Don't plays usually take longer than this? That couldn't have been more than ten minutes."

Asami shook her head and pointed to what must be a changing room that the actors were entering. "A Noh program has five different plays that they put on. There'll be a brief break before the next one begins."

Korra's eyes followed Asami's finger towards the changing room as the realization of how far into this she was. One play out of five with four more to go. After another couple of minutes, the actors came out and one began adjusting the lanterns above him or her with a long pole with a hook on the end of it. As he adjusted the lighting Korra felt something hit the back of her neck. The Avatar lurched forward and turned around in her chair but there was no one behind her, just an empty patch of grass. Her eyes narrowed, suspecting a prank, as she scanned the area for the person responsible. And then she spotted him in the distance, on the edge of a dim lantern's radius of light.

A figure wearing a mask she had never hoped to see again. White and yellow with a red sun in the middle of its forehead. A man who still twisted her dreams into nightmares despite how long it had been since his disappearance. As the unchanging face stared at her Korra could hear his cruel voice whispering to her across the years like it had in the shadows beneath the statue of Aang. " _I received your invitation young Avatar."_

One of her hands clenched into a fist, the nails digging into her palm as she knocked the chair over while standing up. "Amon." Korra spat the name out like an epithet and a spear of fire lit the night in ghastly hues as it soared towards the bloodbender who had once haunted her dreams even after disappearing to never be heard from again. Amon pivoted on one foot letting the attack fly past him to sputter out against the building behind him. He stood still for another moment, his gaze never leaving Korra before turning and disappearing into an alleyway nearby. Asami grabbed at Korra's arm to try and stop her but the Avatar was already out of reach as she sprinted after him without a second thought.

The alleyway was full of trashcans and dumpsters that smelled like vinegar but no Amon. Korra came to a halt, fists level with her chest, as she searched for any sign of where he had gone. She didn't see anything at first as she inched forward, eyes sweeping for anything and everything when she spotted a door that was still swinging to and fro but only just. Korra took another look around the alley just to be safe before slowly pushing the door open and cautiously entering what looked like some kind of cafe. Korra took a few steps further in and there sitting on the top of a barrel in the middle of the room was the mask Amon wore to conceal his identity. Confused she reached out to pick it up only to realize her mistake.

At a distance the mask appeared identical to the one Amon had worn but only at a distance. Korra had seen the bloodbender's mask up close far too many times for her liking and that unwanted intimacy was enough to know that she was holding a fake. An imitation. Whoever had made this had done so in a hurry as pieces of partially dried paper-mache were breaking off just from her picking the mask up. It was obvious to Korra that she had been played, that she had been lured here but the question was why. She dropped the mask back onto the barrel and turned her head to look around.

A cord ran across the floor from the barrel in the middle up and over the top of a counter off to one side of the entranceway. She leaned over the counter only to see more barrels with identical cords connecting them to some kind of small box. It took a few seconds to she had seen a setup like this once before in the city of Zaofu in Aiwei's house. There was a clicking sound from the small box as she threw her arms out to the side. As she formed a protective sphere of air around her the barrels shuddered violently and a blindingly bright display of fire and debris erupted from them.

The sphere had done its work and spared her from the blast but clouds of smoke billowed all around her obscuring where the doors had been. But just as Korra picked a direction to go Asami appeared in the haze, mouth covered by one lapel of her jacket and she was quick to grab the Avatar's hand and pull her out to the street. Asami gently guided Korra to rest her bottom on the curb before kneeling to check her for any injuries as best she could while the screams of man and machine filled the night air.

Before long emergency vehicles had arrived on the scene and people jumped out of them. Some appeared to be medics but the others must have the Fire Nation's equivalent of firefighters. But rather than using water like the Water Tribes or Republic City would, these firefighters used their bending to pull the flames away from the building and dissipated them in midair. In short order, and faster than their counterparts could have managed, the flames were dispatched leaving a charred shell where a tea shop had once been.

Asami let out a sigh of relief after thankfully not finding any burns or broken bones from the explosion.

She took one of Korra's hands in her own and pulled the Avatar up to her feet "Come on Korra, let's get back to the villa. We'll get our things and leave tonight. I don't know why we didn't leave earlier to be honest."

When the two of them arrived at the villa, they found a limo and several unmarked cars blocking off the street in front of it. A number of men, the driver who had taken Korra to the Forgotten Dragon among them, carried flashlights as they searched the ground for something. The front door appeared to have been broken from what looked like the blows of an axe and it hung loosely off of one hinge. The inside wasn't much better, the heads of the tiled dragons on the floor had been shattered. Shards of glass had been flung all about while the furniture had been hacked away at, their cloth guts and wooden legs spilled onto the floor. Worst of all was the things painted in red on the walls, crude messages and slurs every one of them, things anyone with a modicum of decency would never say in public and in private on the rarest of circumstances. As for who they were aimed at, that was quickly obvious as half singled out Asami and more specifically her father while the rest scathingly derided Korra's efforts as the Avatar.

Asami started to walk out the door there and then even without their things but a mother and son duo brought her up short at the entrance way. Fire Lord Izumi and the Crown Prince Iroh. The two of them sank to the ground and kowtowed towards the Avatar like the rest of the people who ranked beneath the two of them in the Fire Nation had done before Korra had ordered them to stop. Without raising her head Izumi spoke in a contrite tone "I have just been informed of what has transpired these last two days. All-"

Korra shushed the Fire Lord with a sarcastic laugh, her face was red and back rigid as she stared at the woman kneeling before her. "Oh you mean the assassination attempts? Asami and I came here at your personal invitation and people have tried to kill me three times already. That idiot Machi in the restaurant, Ifuago at the seminar." She pointed in the direction of where that tea shop had been as she continued to yell at the Fire Lord. "Or maybe it was the people who just set off a bomb five minutes from here! Is that what you're talking about!?"

Izumi exchanged a sideways glance with her son before looking up at the Avatar in confusion. "A bombing? Where?"

Asami pointed in the same direction as Korra for a second. "Somewhere over there, I think the street name was Salamander but really you just need to follow the sirens."

The Fire Lord's eyes followed Asami's finger for a moment and she looked back at her son. "Send one of your lieutenants to deal with that then return here." Izumi took a deep breath before continuing. "As I was I was saying earlier, allow me to express my deepest apologies for how your stay here has gone. The honor of the entire Fire Nation has been tarnished by the actions of a few renegades. Let me assure you that I'll do everything in my power to ensure that those responsible will be punished for their crimes if they already haven't been." Izumi lifted one hand into the air and beckoned at someone behind her. One of her guards, a man standing at the doorway, came further inside and held a familiar looking folder out to Korra. "I understand if you choose not to forgive the crimes committed against your person Avatar Korra but consider this an attempt at making amends."

Inside the folder were all of the contracts that had been offered to Asami when they had visited the palace. The same contracts she had refused because the price for obtaining them had been too high. Korra looked up from the papers in surprise. "You're giving these to me? I don't understand what's going on here."

Izumi lifted her head to look at Korra and for the barest of instances there was the hint of a tiny smirk on her face. "You are the Avatar and a personal guest of mine at the moment. There have been multiple attempts to kill you, three times if what you just told me is true. Not to mention what has happened to this villa here. I have failed in my duty as a host and the Fire Nation has been disgraced by what has happened. As such I am obligated to make amends however I possibly can. Gifting these contracts are a part of that but if it's not enough then please let me know." Izumi bowed her head once again.

Korra looked down at the papers in her hand for a moment. She had looked through them after that meeting and fully understood how valuable they were. But not to her. Korra handed the folder over to the woman standing next to her. "I think you're better suited for these than I am Asami."

Iroh returned from the phone call he had been sent to make and started to kneel once again but his mother stopped him with a look and outstretched hand. "If the Avatar gives these contracts to you then they are legally yours Miss Sato. But allow me to make a suggestion here. My son is not a lawyer but having the Crown Prince working with you will greatly aid with the difficulties Future Industries will face as a foreign company working in the Fire Nation. If you accept then I would ask you to take him with you when you return to Republic City."

With that she bowed her head once more before leaving the villa. An hour later and Asami's airship was headed east with one more passenger than it had carried upon their arrival to the Fire Nation.


	10. Down the Rabbit Hole (smut)

The trip back to Republic City had been uneventful, and Iroh had taken a cab from the landing field to the quarters he kept in the city after giving them his address and number for when Asami needed to contact him. Korra supposed she should have been surprised to find that Asami had a luxury car stashed here if she ever needed it but the extent of her partner's coffers had sunk in already. But that internal knowledge hadn't yet changed to include the fact of how rich Asami would become due to Korra's gift just a few days ago.

Asami on the other hand had been beaming so brightly Korra half believed she might get burned if she got too close to the head of Future Industries. As Korra sat down in the passenger's seat Asami popped the trunk open and set the box containing the mover camera and player that she had gotten from whoever they had met inside. Asami shut the trunk before plopping herself down in the driver's seat and twisting the keys in the ignition before she looked over at the Avatar "So I have a question for you Korra. Are you still interested in what we talked about yesterday night? I promised you we'd do it once we got back but I wanted to check to see if you're still interested."

Korra fastened her seat belt and raised an eyebrow at the other woman "What, did you think I changed my mind or something? Well I might to be honest, the whole getting tied up stuff seems kinda strange but I still want to try it at least once." Her cheeks reddened as she recalled what Asami had already done to her "And even if I do change my mind, I still want to sleep with you."

The raven-haired engineer gave Korra a seemingly shy smile but the effect was undone by the hand that rubbed at the inside of the Avatar's thigh. Korra murmured softly and spread her legs out a bit to give easier access but Asami pulled her hand away and turned the ignition to start the car. "All right then, we'll do it tonight but there's some preparation you'll have to do first once we get to the mansion." Asami kept her eyes on the road as she drove them through the city but at times she would 'accidentally' grab Korra's knee instead of the stick shift. Once they had arrived and were parked in the garage, Asami turned in her seat towards Korra "Come with me, there's someone I want you to meet."

Before they left the garage, Asami stopped Korra with a hand on the shoulder "So whatever you want to do to get ready for later is your choice, but I'm going to insist that you get an enema."

Korra's eyes opened wide and she took a step backwards at the unexpected demand. "W-what? You want me to get an enema?"

Asami shifted uneasily from one foot to the other "I know, it's an unusual request and it's not one I want to ask of you. But if we're going to do anal on such short notice then it's a necessary one to avoid... things possibly getting messy if you get my drift. It's only for today though, we can adjust your diet to make things easier to handle for us if we need to."

The Avatar started to fold her arms before stopping short "Okay we'll do it your way today but no more surprises all right?"

There was a slight pause before Asami agreed to the request "No more surprises. Come on, let's get started." It was a short walk through the halls to a door on the first floor in an area of the mansion Korra hadn't been to during any of her previous visits to the Sato estate.

Inside was a full fledged salon, as well stocked as any of its counterparts in Republic City itself. A small army of bottles and sprays lined the shelves, makeup drawers that could be pulled out to reveal their contents along with scissors and razors both electric and not sat in neat rows on one counter top. Mirrors hung on the walls and there was even a full fledged shower and tub nestled in one corner. Lastly a single padded chair sat facing one of the mirrors and in it was the salon's only attendant. She was noticeably shorter than Korra but made up for it with an ample waist that spoke of a woman who enjoyed food and wine. The woman's cheeks had a rosy tint to them and there was an immediately apparent cheer present in her eyes. "Korra, this is Kaya, my personal stylist. Kaya, this is the Avatar."

Korra's attention had drifted and she was only half listening as Asami introduced them to each other. Her gaze drifted through the room as she took stock of everything this room had to offer. "All of this is for you Asami? How do you have so much beauty stuff in here? Why do you have so much stuff in here?"

Kaya's laugh came from her belly and Asami giggled into her fist "Come on Korra, you don't think I look like this all the time without trying do you? It takes time and a lot of work, my hair treatments alone take hours. And it's not all mine, Kaya does the styling for the rest of my staff as well. Anyways, Korra needs an enema, and if she wants anything else please see to it."

The stylist tilted her head almost like a bird would as she looked between the two of them "An enema? Why would... ahhh I see."

It took a moment for Korra to realize what Kaya meant by that and there was a sinking feeling down in her abdomen. Someone had figured it out. This woman knew what Asami and the Avatar were planning to do this evening. She sighed and buried her face in one hand. "What's wrong Korra?" asked Asami.

"She knows." Korra waved her other hand in Kaya's general direction "And if she knows then other people are going to find out and we're ruined."

"You don't have to worry about that Avatar Korra." Kaya didn't look as cheery anymore but she was still closer to that than she was to being bothered by Korra's fear. "I won't pretend that I understand this particular hobby of Asami's. But I do know that it's something that she enjoys and that's what matters to me. You don't know who I am but let me assure that I know how to keep a secret and so do the rest of the staff here."

Korra shook her head and folded her arms clearly skeptical "How do you know? All it takes is one person for a leak to happen."

"She's right Korra. If they didn't let it slip that Hiroshi was one of the Equalist leaders then they aren't going to spread any stories about us."

The Avatar stared dumbfounded at Asami "They knew? How would they have known?"

Kaya chuckled at the look on Korra's face "Now you're just being daft. How would Hiroshi construct a factory underneath his house without us knowing about it? But enough about this, I'll take things from here Asami." Kaya went to one of the drawers and pulled one of the shelves open as Asami left Korra alone in the room with the stylist. She pulled out a small bulb and turned towards the Avatar "Now then, let's get started."

There was no point to denying it in Korra's opinion after it was done – that had felt really weird and it definitely was something she didn't want to make a habit of. But Asami's reasoning for why she wanted Korra to get an enema had made sense, without that bit of logic she would have refused to do this. And now that it was done there was nothing to do but wait for what she had been craving these last few days.

When the time finally came, the door to Asami's room was cracked open just enough for light to shine into the hallway. Korra started to knock, hesitated, then pushed it open and stepped inside shutting the door behind her. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw what was lying in wait for her. Asami was seated on the bed one leg crossed over the other and she was wearing a black corset and lacy briefs that hugged her hips. Next to her was a small bag that could only contain whatever toys Asami had decided to use on Korra along with a towel and a thick wool blanket. The Avatar reached down to the bottom of her shirt in order to take it off but Asami stopped her with a shake of the head "I want to do that. Get over here pet." She patted the bed beside her invitingly.

Korra pulled her hands away from her shirt and sat down on the bed where her lover had indicated. Asami wasted no time as she eagerly pulled the Avatar's clothes off one piece at a time. Korra felt her face redden as her panties came off her feet and she was fully naked in the presence of another adult for the first time in her life. Asami rolled Korra to lie face down on the bed and she started pressing kisses to the back of the Avatar's neck and shoulders. Korra shivered as the soft touches of Asami's lips trailed lower to the small of her back before stopping short of her bottom.

Asami sat up and reached back to grab the bag she had brought with and reached inside to pull something out. Korra turned her head at a non-verbal prompting to see her mistress holding them up for her to see. A neatly tied bundle of ropes with black leather cuffs attached to the end of each dangled from one of her hands. She tossed them onto the bed one at a time, each landing near one of Korra's ankles or wrists "So before I start putting them on I want to make sure you know what to watch for in order to protect yourself. If the cuffs are cinched too tight then they'll cut off circulation and that could lead to nerve damage. If they're too loose then they could chafe or rub your skin raw when you pull against them. And remember to use your safeword if you need to. Lastly I have a pair of safety scissors so I can cut the ropes if I have to. Are you ready?"

The Avatar hesitated a moment contemplating the warnings before picking up one of the cuffs and starting to put her wrist in it. Asami laughed as she playfully swatted Korra's hand away from the restraint "That's my job pet. You just sit back and relax." Korra gave her a small smirk before ceding control of her wrist. The inside of the restraints were lined with some kind of soft fur and each cuff was pulled snug against her skin and the buckle fastened. Next Asami took the ropes and left enough slack in each line for Korra to have some freedom of movement, albeit limited, before securing them to a post on each corner of the bed. "Tug on these for me to make sure everything feels right."

As Korra pulled on the ropes one of Asami's hands glided down along her spine, lightly pressing down in a few places "Anything feel too tight or loose Korra?" Asami got a shake of the head in response and she continued on "One last thing then, I set up the camera we got from the Fire Nation over there." She directed the Avatar's gaze towards a chair holding the device in question. "If it doesn't bother you then I'd like to record this scene... and any scenes we do in the future if we keep going with this."

Korra frowned at the request as she looked up over her shoulder at Asami "You want to record this? I thought you weren't interested in recording sex movers or whatever we're calling them."

Asami laughed once "Oh no no no. The idea of filming me having sex with you was actually really arousing. I turned it down because that woman would have been selling it to people." She pressed her chest into Korra's back and whispered into her ear "But if it's just for the two of us then that's not a problem. And we'll be able to watch it together too."

She turned her head back to look at the camera and its blank lens stared back at her as she considered the idea. That mover with the blonde woman had been the catalyst for everything that happened between her and Asami. Without it Korra wouldn't be where she was, naked and tied face down spreadeagled on Asami's bed. "Well I'm already trying a bunch of new things right now, nothing wrong with adding one more. You have to promise me that you'll keep this mover somewhere safe though Asami."

The mattress shook slightly as Asami got off in order to approach the camera and chair holding it. She bent over exposing her bottom to Korra as she pressed a button on the side and the machine hummed to life. Asami crawled back onto the bed and positioned herself back between Korra's legs while rummaging through her bag of toys. Korra felt a smooth rounded sphere of some sort press itself against her groin and seconds later she gasped loudly when Asami turned the device on. Her legs jerked against the ropes and she curled her toes as the vibrations began. The device wasn't very loud but it's motor was still strong enough to make her legs begin quivering after little more than a minute had passed since it was turned on. Korra's mouth opened wide as she cried out in ecstasy and her fingers dug furrows into the bedsheets as she pulled against the ropes holding her wrists. Asami leaned down and planted a soft kiss onto Korra's bottom before she adjusted the toy to a better position against the clit itself. The Avatar's hips bucked in response dislodging the vibrator but there was nowhere for her to go and her mistress was easily able to reposition it in a heartbeat. Korra thrashed once, twice more and Asami could see a thin line of clear liquid dripping off of one leg now as Korra's whole body twitched from the orgasm passing through her.

Asami held the vibrator in place for a few more seconds as Korra shuddered while gasping for air before she pulled it away. She flipped the switch to shut it off and turned back towards the bag of toys to fetch what they needed for the last part of this scene. One tube of lubricant and a purple cone that tapered to a rounded point while the other end had a shiny blue heart inlaid on the flared base. Asami unscrewed the cap on the tube and smeared it over her fingers as she explained what came next "So I promised we'd do anal but we need to go over a few things first."

Korra turned her head to listen and Asami took the opportunity to check the Avatar's eyes to see how alert and aware she was mentally at the moment. They weren't doing any sort of pain play and this wasn't going to be a long scene but it was still Korra's first time doing this. Unlikely though it might be, the chance of her slipping into 'sub-space', the trance like state that submissives could enter as a result of a scene, was still a possibility and one of the many things she had to be on guard for with a novice. There did seem to be a very faint haze but Korra still appeared to be mentally alert and aware of her surroundings. She held the plug up where her pet could see it "This is the toy I'm going to be using on you, but only when you feel ready for it. We'll start with a finger first and see how it goes."

"That's what you're going to use? It's not very big..." Korra was quick to point out the obvious about Asami's toy of choice.

Asami giggled for a second "Of course not pet. This is your first time doing this, I'm not going to throw something huge at you right off the bat. You have to start small and work your way up to bigger toys until you find your limit. Ready?" Korra nodded, excitement showing in her eyes.

The next thing to do was to position that towel underneath Korra's crotch before moving on. She had already put some lubricant on her fingers but there was no such thing as too much lubricant when it came to anal. Asami squeezed the tube again and lathered the gob onto her right hand before turning her attention to what lay between Korra's well defined cheeks. Korra shivered involuntarily as those fingers rubbed themselves lengthwise against her other hole leaving trails of a clear gel behind them. Asami spread it around the rim but she left the largest bit on the hole itself so that anything going inside would have to push through it. After lubing her forefinger again she pressed it to the outside and began pushing. Korra moaned softly and her fingers curled and straightened as the digit gradually sank inside of her, bit by bit until it was buried all the way to the knuckle. Asami kissed the back of Korra's knee before repeatedly pulling the finger partway out and pushing back in even deeper than before. "How does this feel? Any pain?"

Korra trembled and moaned again as that finger within her gently crooked to and fro "No, it doesn't hurt. It's good... really good. Do the toy now."

Asami was only too happy to oblige and pulled her finger out before squirting some of the tube's lubricant onto the toy. "This could hurt a bit, use your safeword if it's too much pet." She smoothed it out to an even layer before putting even more lube onto Korra's rear entrance. And then the toy was very slowly nudging its way in, a few millimeters at a time. The Avatar squeezed her eyes shut and there was a rigid set to her jaw as well... but she hadn't used her safeword so the plug continued it's journey. Once it was all the way inside with only the jeweled base showing, Korra opened her eyes "Now what?"

She got her question answered with the hum of the vibrator resuming as it pushed against the same hole as before. Korra let out a strangled gasp and she pulled on all four ropes simultaneously. The vibrations were like earlier but only until they had traveled towards the plug and bounced off it even greater than at their point of entry. As she continued to cavort the waves were sent off at random angles all through her bodies from her kicking feet up to the mouth that was emanating a near constant stream of short moans and gasps. Korra's release wasn't as fast it had been the first time but when it did arrive, it did so with a burst that left every limb straining against their restraints and her hips rose as far off the bed as they were able to.

Korra collapsed back down onto the bed, every muscle in her body suddenly feeling as if the strength had gone out of them. There was a quiet rustling as Asami moved around the bed to undo the restraints while Korra lay there recovering. When it was done she felt herself being lifted off the bed as her mistress wrapped the blanket around her like she was an infant "What are you doing?" Korra murmured.

"Aftercare silly. Bondage scenes can get pretty intense so once a scene is done it's the dom's responsibility to make sure their sub is all right. Treating injuries if there's any, monitoring body temperature, that sort of... crap I forgot to take the plug out and you need to go use the bathroom. Hang on." She rolled Korra over and unwrapped the blanket then slowly withdrew the plug, Korra moaning once more as it stretched her upon exiting. Asami pointed to the bathroom door for Korra to take care of business and she left the room on a pair of unsteady legs. Afterwards Asami wrapped the Avatar in the blanket again and pulled her onto her lap, Korra's head ending up on a shoulder. "So, what do you think?"

The Avatar-burrito squirmed in Asami's arms for a moment as she pressed herself even further into the other woman "That was incredible. I always thought the high you get from a really good workout was fun but that was something else. When can we do it again?"

Asami laughed softly as she gently stroked Korra's short hair "We'll set a date for another scene later. Right now I want to talk about what we just did. Did anything bother you at all? The restraints, my vibrator, the plug?"

Korra shook her head as she turned her head, clearly trying to hide something "No, that was all fine."

Asami flattened her lips in disapproval "Are you sure? I was watching your face while I was putting the plug in and it looked like you were in pain. You were trying to tough it out weren't you?"

The Avatar gave her a defiant look though it was rather spoiled by the fact she was wrapped in a blanket "So what if I was? I've dealt with stuff a lot worse than that before."

"It matters because this is supposed to feel good. It's not uncommon for anal to hurt but that's usually because the people involved are doing it wrong. And there's a lot of health risks to this as well. It's possible for... things to tear and then you have to deal with infections and its all very unpleasant. You don't have to act tough when we do scenes Korra. Honestly I'd prefer it if you didn't because I don't want to hurt you." She tilted Korra's face towards her own and softly kissed the woman's lips "I don't want to hurt you because I want to keep doing this with you and because I love you."

Korra started at the four letter bomb Asami had just dropped before kissing the other woman back "I love you too."


	11. Stratification

Legal documentation. Contracts, deeds, bylaws, partnerships and a myriad of other forms that served as the basis for every business transaction in the United Republic. The overwhelming consensus among the population at large was that they were dry and banal to the point of being nigh incomprehensible without the aid of professional consultation. Asami couldn't say that they were wrong in their assessment but there was a kind of strange clarity to legal papers that had always appealed to her. Nothing was left open to the hundred different ways a hundred different people could subjectively interpret something if they tried hard enough. Everything was objective, defined and identified so that no misunderstandings, willful or accidental, could be made by the reader. People might not like reading these papers but that was how business was done in Republic City and it had worked quite well so far. But therein lay the problem for her now. All these contracts given to her by Korra and indirectly the Fire Lord were for the Fire Nation, not the United Republic.

Where contracts in Republic City were strictly defined and laid out, the Fire Nation agreements were vague and scant in detail. These papers she had been given only described what the Fire Lord wanted done and that Asami was the one who had agreed to do them. Everything else, the true nature of the contracts wasn't written down and the method of binding wasn't legal in nature. It was social and Asami was a foreigner to the Fire Nation who lacked the experience of being raised in their culture and society. She rubbed at her temples hoping to ease the building headache this conversation with Iroh about his homeland was giving her "Okay, let me see if I understand this correctly. These contracts aren't a job and I haven't been hired for anything. I'm performing a service for the Fire Nation which I don't openly expect to be paid for... but as a reward for my so-called gift, I'll be compensated by the Fire Lord. What kind of system is this? I don't see how it would be effective for an entire nation."

Iroh was holding a low-ball glass in one hand, half filled with an aged whiskey from the small collection of drinks she kept in here. It was an obvious trick but alcohol had a way of making visitors to Asami's office relax more than they would have without it. The general stood up and moved to look out the large window at the city sprawling below them. "You're right about that which is why only the nobility follow this practice. The lower classes are no different than the other nations or Republic City when it comes to business though not as contract heavy but gifts are customary when dealing with nobles."

Asami concealed a frown at his response. That comment about the lower classes felt rather off the cuff and draped in classist overtones. "Well as someone from Republic City I don't know anything about how your gift system works so explain that to me."

The general turned away from the window and leaned against the wall next to it as he took a sip from his glass "The basics are rather simple. When a member of the nobility wants something done that he or she can't accomplish with their own resources they seek out someone who is capable of it and request their services. This request is also accompanied by a gift meant as payment, and that's where it becomes more complicated. Gold or gems, land or resources and political favors are the most common offerings but the nature of the gift could be anything so long as it's within reason."

That meeting where Korra and Asami had encountered that anonymous woman suddenly began to make much more sense now that she had an idea of how Fire Nation nobility made deals with each other. All of these contracts to overhaul the Fire Nation's infrastructure in exchange for... a price that had been far too high. "And how do you decide whether something is within reason or not?"

Iroh frowned slightly into his drink "Now that is a difficult question to answer since there's so many things to take into consideration. The strength of their firebenders, how much money they have or the resources they own. Where do they rank in the hierarchy? Is it a major or minor house? Are they nobility by birth or were they promoted by merit? There's a thousand variables to take into account and it varies from one person to the next."

Asami tapped one fingernail against her glass on the desk she was sitting behind. It wasn't alcohol but this conversation was starting to make her wish that it was, but that wouldn't help Asami in comprehending how such a convoluted system could ever have come into existence in the first place. She shifted in her chair as a realization came to her "Okay so that's how your nation's nobility make deals with each other but what about the other nations? The Northern Water Tribe is still a monarchy but the South elects its Chief now. The Earth Kingdom is starting to become a democracy though I'm not sure how Zaofu will choose its next leader. And the United Republic is a republic with an elected president, we don't have nobility at all. How does that factor in? I know the Fire Nation is engaged in trade with all of them."

Her guest stepped away from the wall and back to her desk where the crystal decanter of whiskey was in order to top his drink off. "An astute question but the answer is a little complicated." Asami grimaced internally, of course it was complicated, as he continued "Trade with the other nations was... slow to develop following the Great War. It's not hard to understand why considering everything that my grandfather's predecessors had done. People didn't trust us or the goods we were trying to sell at first. I'll skip the details but the gist is that a guild was created in order to manage our international trade difficulties. The people were carefully selected from the lower classes to make sure no one who had been directly involved with the Hundred Year War was a member. It took them years to overcome the stigma against us but eventually they succeeded and trade began in earnest."

She eyed him for a moment and shook her head in mild disbelief "And no one realized that guild was a front? They might not have been involved in the war but the resources they were trading must have come from the other houses in the Fire Nation who were."

A flicker of an amused smile played over Iroh's lips for a second before vanishing as quickly as it had come "I'm sure some people did realize that but the world had been devastated by the war. The Southern Water Tribe was a shadow of its former self, the North had been under embargo for decades and the Earth Kingdom had largely been under our sway. People might not have wanted our help at first but the Fire Nation's economy had been almost entirely untouched by the war. This guild may have been a facade but it let people turn a blind eye to who was helping them. Ignorance is bliss. But your question was about trading with nations who don't have a noble class. This wasn't an issue until the last few years and its been a matter of much debate back home. Keeping the guild would have been the optimal solution but their graft has recently become excessive and the guild is currently in the process of being disbanded."

Now that wasn't something Asami had been expecting to hear today, a blatant admission of corruption within the Fire Nation's international trade guild from the Fire Nation's heir to the throne himself. "Acceptable level of graft? Is there even such a thing? I think any amount of stealing should be an arrestable offense."

Iroh shrugged dismissively "They weren't getting paid very much for the amount of work they had been ordered to do so a certain amount of leeway on the books was, unofficially mind you, deemed fair."

What had she gotten herself into? The more Iroh explained how things were done in in the Fire Nation the more she felt like the victim of an enormous practical joke. How could something like this work? Everything felt so vague and ill-conceived that it was like they were purposefully ignoring any form of logic or reason. Was this really the same nation that had started and very nearly won the Hundred-Year War? Asami resisted the urge to rub at her temples again as she steered the conversation back to the question she had asked "I don't see how that answers what I asked. You formed a guild to manage international relations but I was asking how your noble class handles trading with people who aren't nobility in the other nations."

"Well when the guild was around it wasn't an issue since the nobles never came in direct contact with the people they were sending their goods to. But now that we're in the process of disbanding the guild, the nobility has been debating the social stigmas of trading directly with companies and nations that aren't of royal birth. It's been rather heated I'm told but the meritocracy argument has won in all but name."

Asami felt a glimmer of hope flicker to life at that last sentence, finally something that made a bit of sense to her "A meritocracy argument? What's the deal with that?"

The general almost looked like he was going to sit down on the chair in front of her desk for a moment but Iroh opted to continue standing and pacing around like he had been doing ever since his arrival "There are three different classes among the Fire Nation nobility. The highest rank is composed of the oldest and wealthiest houses. The middle is the lower houses who have been established for a few generations but lack the history, prestige and wealth to be considered part of the upper class. The lowest are individuals who have been promoted to the nobility as a reward for their accomplishments. If their descendants continue to be successful then their house may be promoted to the middle class in time, if not then they get demoted and replaced with someone else. The meritocracy argument is that we consider successful foreigners in a similar light to those promoted by merit."

Asami frowned ever so slightly at that last bit "So... what? You're saying someone like me, for example, would be considered a de facto noble of Republic City then? That just seems like a way of lying to yourselves, there's no royal blood in my veins in any way shape or form. It'd honestly be easier for everyone if the Fire Nation just dealt with the fact that most people aren't nobility."

Iroh stopped his slow pacing in the middle of the room and turned to face her "I'll admit that many of my fellow nobles can be rather touchy about the matter but that's simply how things are in the Fire Nation."

"Many of your fellow nobles but not you, is that what you're saying?"

A moment of silence passed while Iroh studied the liquor in his glass as he seemingly gathered his thoughts "No I suppose I'm not... at least not anymore. I have my grandfather to thank for that since it was his order that made me join the United Republic's army. I was something of an arrogant prince in my youth and some of my... escapades were embarrassing now that I'm older and a bit wiser. My drill instructors had a lot to do with that since they were far harder on me than the rest of the recruits. Part of me always thought Zuko or mother was behind it but I never had any proof. It worked out in the end however, my time in Republic City has shown me that blood isn't as important as the Fire Nation believes it to be. But we've talked about this enough, I'm sure it seems strange to you but fortunately I'll be buffering you from having to deal with all this directly."

Now that was certainly a welcome notion but there was a rather large hole in his statement "You will? Correct me if I'm wrong but the life of a United Republic general doesn't leave much time for dealing with something of this magnitude, the amount of companies and labor required for this from the Fire Nation is quite large."

"You're not wrong about that. I haven't had a great deal of spare time since joining the United Republic's army but that will change once I retire."

Asami sat up straighter in her chair at that little revelation. Iroh's rise up the ranks had been meteoric and his promotion to general had been front page news on every paper in town since he was easily the youngest ever in United Nation history. He wasn't exactly a cornerstone of the nation but Iroh had been in the military since before Asami had been born and one of the last major pieces from the days when the United Republic had been ruled by a council. And now he was leaving. "You're retiring? May I ask why?"

He shrugged slightly as he began slowly pacing once again. It didn't seem to be a case of nerves or anything else that had kept him on his feet and moving about Asami decided. If she had to guess, it was probably that he had spent too much time in the military and didn't know what to do with himself in a non-military or crisis situation anymore. "I've been wanting to retire for a few years now but the timing has never been right. I was going to recommend Bumi replace me but he caught us all by surprise with the timing of his retirement after the Equalist rebellion."

Bumi. Tenzin's brother Bumi. The only person she had ever met that could give Varrick a run for his money at being off-beat and eccentric. As a general, one of the leaders of the United Republic's military. The look on her face must have given away her reaction to that idea. "I know he can strike people as odd but he was a genuinely capable tactician. His strategies were as unorthodox as you can get but brilliant nonetheless. The men respected him and he was as brave as a soldier as any I've ever met. I'm not angry that he retired but it meant I had to select a new successor and begin grooming him to take over, but things didn't work out so neatly. Vaatu's attack on the city, the Red Lotus wounding Korra, and then everything that happened with Kuvira. It still isn't the ideal time but I'm not interested in putting it off any longer."

It wasn't something worth bringing up since it most likely would only cause an argument between the two of them, but it was a fact that Asami couldn't help but notice. Iroh's first choice of who he wanted to replace him just happened to be the firstborn son of Korra's predecessor, Avatar Aang. Bumi did have his merits but how much that influenced Iroh's decision was certainly a question worth asking even if Iroh claimed not to value blood as much as the rest of his nation. "So what will you do once you're out?"

"Well, my mother has told me to make assisting you my first priority once my papers have been processed. After that I'm not certain what I'll do aside from return home and stay there though I'm told many houses are hoping to secure an alliance with my house. That will be... interesting." A sly smile on his face appeared for a moment before Iroh hid it behind his hand as he rubbed at his chin.

Now that was a can of worms that Asami had less than no interest in opening but it did give her an idea of why Iroh had taken Korra to dinner but that was a conversation she would have with the Avatar at another time. For the time being she could see what else Iroh was able to do for her "Well, aside from dealing with your nobles what other help can you give me?"

He took a sip from his drink for the first time since he had refilled it before picking up the briefcase he had brought with him. "We've been planning to have this done for some time and got some of the groundwork done in advance." Iroh unlocked the metal case and popped it open to get access to the documents within. "These are topographical maps of the Fire Nation. Izumi wants a maglev train system like what Kuvira built. The biggest problem is that the Fire Nation is volcanically active, especially in the eastern regions."

Asami took the laminated maps and shuffled through them one at a time. A couple were relatively unmarked but the last few were of the islands in the east nearest to Republic City. Those were dotted with dozens of little red marks indicating the presence of volcanoes that had erupted within the past five years according to the key. "Well I don't think a maglev system in the west would be too hard but the east? That I'm not so sure about. And Varrick's the one who invented the maglev system so he owns the patents to it I think, though I'm not one hundred percent sure about that. What else can we plan out with these?"

Iroh finally took a seat in one of the chairs across from her as he started pointing out the aquifers currently in use and potential sites where new ones had been discovered by new drilling techniques. Asami took a drink from her now almost cold tea as they settled in to work on something far more interesting to her than the Fire Nation's social quirks.


	12. Confession

It had been a week since her first scene with Korra. Asami had kept herself busy at the office as she began laying the groundwork for the projects that would eat up the next few years of her career at the very least. Iroh had been present for the first day but she had spent the rest of the week alone as she made her very rough first estimates for everything that she would need. Engineers, technicians, construction crews, surveyors, labor and so on. The list and it was only then that the sheer scale of what she had agreed to do sunk in.

Completely overhauling the infrastructure of an entire nation. Hundreds of cities, towns and villages. Millions of people. Islands, plains, rivers, lakes, valleys, towering mountains and hundreds of volcanoes. There wasn't any possible way she would be able to plan out all of this on her own, Asami would have to delegate. Some of these were things that her subordinates would be able to handle but many of these tasks were out of Future Industries area of expertise and would have to be contracted out to other companies who specialized in them. But figuring out who she might want to bring in could wait for another day. Right now Asami had a much more interesting discussion waiting for her.

A week was long enough for Korra to reflect on their scene like Asami had asked her to do. She pulled her pocket watch out to check the time. Fifteen minutes after five left her the better part of an hour to get home for the dinner the two of them had scheduled for this evening. It would have been fun to go out and eat out somewhere but the conversation ahead of them was one best held somewhere without the risk of being overheard.

As she steered her car towards the garage Asami could see a furry white beast with four legs rolling excitedly on the grass. Korra wasn't anywhere in sight to her surprise but Asami did see her butler at the polar bear dog's side. The man wasn't anywhere close to her but she could see that he was as stiff as a statue in the presence of the large predator from the south pole. To his credit though he was still moving his arm, albeit haltingly, as he fed Naga what was probably some kind of treat.

The Avatar was waiting for her inside the mansion on the upper level. Asami's estate had more than one dining room but the two main ones had been made for larger gatherings than just the two of them. The last of three rooms was a parlor her father had used to entertain a visiting person or couple. There was a rectangular table in the middle of the room atop a thick rug that covered most of the wooden floor and a few paintings hung on the walls. Korra was looking out at the forest surrounding the estate through a window that took up the larger part of its wall as Asami entered.

Asami wasn't the quietest person in the world but Korra didn't seem to have noticed her arrival in the room until a pair of arms slid around her waist and Asami was softly kissing the top of her head. Korra turned around and gave a small smile "That's a nice way of saying hello. Care to ask how my week's been?"

That was an easy enough request to oblige and Asami ducked her head so that their lips came together. She had been expecting a quick peck but the Avatar reached up to grab Asami's neck and pulled the two of them closer together. Asami felt her heart skip a beat at the feeling of Korra's body pressing into her as the kiss deepened. Her hands wavered indecisively before she squeezed Korra tighter and returned the kiss with equal fervor. It only had been a week since they had seen each other but everything she had been dealing with at work made it feel like far longer to Asami. She moaned softly and reluctantly broke away before the urge to go further got any stronger than it already was. "So how's your week been Korra?" she asked.

Korra shrugged slightly "All right I guess. There's still a lot of rubble and debris left over from Kuvira's attack in downtown so I spent most of the week helping to move as much of it as I could along with demolishing the more unstable buildings. Kinda tedious but it'll help them in expanding the city or so I'm told. Recycling the metal and rocks or some such. What about you? Having fun at the office?"

Asami glanced away from the woman in her arms to check the grandfather clock in the room before responding. "There's still ten minutes before six but do you want to get started now Korra? The desserts won't be ready but everything else should be."

"Everything else? How much food are we talking about here?" asked Korra as she sat down at the table. Asami pressed a button on the wall next to the door before sitting herself across from the Avatar. Barely over a minute had passed when the door opened and a pair of Asami's servants entered with silver platters in their hands. They set them down and removed the lids on the dishes they had brought before politely bowing to Asami and leaving.

Octopus fritters, noodle soup, lobster crabs, pau buns, mango, figs and there was even arctic hen from the south pole along with some kind of tea to drink. Korra's head swiveled back and forth as she looked over the meal in front of them "Where did you get all of this? This looks like stuff you'd order at Kwong's."

Asami laughed quietly at the surprise on the Avatar's face "Funny you mention Kwong's because that's actually where I hired my chef from. It took a lot of persuading and a hefty paycheck but he's worth every yuan I pay him."

Korra sat up straighter in her chair as the words sunk in. Kwong's was easily the finest restaurant in Republic City and could hold its own against any restaurant anywhere else in the world. Getting one of the chefs from that place to come work for Asami was very far from a small accomplishment. "How did you pull that off? Isn't Kwong's the dream job of every chef in the United Republic?" asked Korra.

"Like I said, it took a lot of persuading but the biggest thing aside from money and a retirement portfolio was the creative freedom I offered him. I give him a blank check every month and he can use it to cook whatever he feels like. So far its worked out well with the new combinations that he's come up with but occasionally it backfires horribly." Asami grimaced at the memory of what he had tried to do with the giant flies from the Foggy Swamp. "But enough about the food, I want to talk about what we did last time you were here. It's been a week since our first scene so I figure that's long enough for you to have thought things over."

The Avatar hesitated and her gaze swung away from Asami to the door and back "Are we going to be alone? I don't want anyone overhearing us if we're talking about this now."

Asami started filling her plate as she reassured the now uneasy looking Korra "They won't come back until I call for them again. No one's going to overhear us in here so you can say anything you want to me."

Korra looked at the food that Asami had served herself before starting to follow suit "Okay then, after we were done you said something about me trying to tough it and how I shouldn't do that. I don't see what the problem is here. I lost count of all the fights I've been in a long time ago. I've been electrocuted, beaten, poisoned, crippled and nearly killed on multiple occasions. What makes you think I can't handle a little bit of pain from... you sticking things in there."

"I'm not questioning your toughness, courage or anything like that Korra. Yes you can handle it but that's not the point. If it hurts when I'm sticking a plug into you then we're doing it wrong and you could get hurt. I know you have healing abilities but do you know how to deal with injuries caused by anal play going wrong? I can't imagine you'd want to go to the hospital for that."

Korra reddened in embarrassment at the notion of visiting a healer and having to explain just what they had been doing when this hypothetical injury had happened. And Asami's insight as piercing as usual about Korra's deficiency when it came to this particular kind of injury. Katara had been thorough as a water bending master but there had never been a day where they had covered how to heal injuries stemming from someone inserting sex toys into your rear end. "No, that's not something I would know how to heal." she admitted. "Katara taught me a lot but it was mostly focused on dealing with injuries from combat. I never learned how to deal with any of the trickier stuff like when Jinora's soul was trapped in the Spirit World for example."

Asami took a bite of the octopus fritters she had served herself before responding "Well have you ever considered learning the advanced stuff then? It'd give you something to work on and I'll admit to being a bit selfish here but it'd be useful if things did go wrong in any future scenes we do. Well assuming there will be any."

The Avatar paused in the middle of bringing a cup to her lips "What do you mean? I said I enjoyed what we did last week. Is there some reason that we'd be stopping now that I don't know about?"

"It's... it's just..." Asami grimaced as she tried to think of a way to explain this "I know you said you liked it and so did I but this isn't exactly a normal situation. Diving headfirst into things is kinda what you do and that's what makes this confusing for me. We've never been on a proper date or anything like it. You said you weren't ready for a relationship for me and then a couple of days later you ask me to have sex with you. And a couple of days after that I'm tying you up and using a vibrator on you while you're plugged. Even for you this is rushing things awfully fast so I guess I'm just worried you'll change your mind."

There was a lull in the conversation as the two woman looked at each other. After a moment Korra shook her head with an almost shy smile on her face "No Asami I'm not changing my mind. What you did to me was incredible. I didn't even know it was possible for something to feel that good. Any time you want to tie me up and do unmentionable things, I'm willing."

Korra had made up her mind about doing further bondage scenes with Asami before she had even left the mansion that night. This week of waiting had been little more than a formality for her, the only reason she had even agreed to wait was because Asami had insisted. Korra had been expecting Asami to be happy, to be excited or thrilled. But for some reason Asami suddenly wasn't able to meet her gaze anymore and she was instead staring at the table far too intently. "...Asami?"

"I... I have something I need to tell you then..."

Korra shivered involuntarily at the new found bleakness present in the other woman's voice. "Ummm okay.''

Asami looked away from the table to stare at the wall "After the Equalist rebellion I started trying to find someone who could teach me how to block chi. I've learned a lot of unarmed fighting styles over the years but I'm still a non-bender. Being able to block another persons chi would help me to close the gap for me but I was never able to find someone who could teach me. At least not until we went to the Fire Nation. That's what I was doing when we split up, learning how to block chi."

This still didn't make any sense to Korra so she had to ask "Okay so you learned how to block chi? I don't see what's bothering you."

Asami slowly shook her head "Because of what I did with it. Because after I tied you up... I blocked your chi. I took your bending."

Korra could almost literally feel the blood rushing to her face as it reddened at Asami's admission. Of all the possible things Asami could have confessed to this was the worst one she could have imagined. She had blocked Korra's chi, denied her the ability to bend the four elements, one of the pillars of her role as the Avatar. In a single act Asami had placed her in the company of the four people who had hurt her more than any others. The ones who had attacked her role as the Avatar. Amon. Unalaq. Zaheer. Kuvira.

Asami.

Both of her hands balled up into fists as she stared at Asami and Korra could feel that peculiarly alien sense of rage creeping up on her. This wasn't the first time it had crept out of whatever depths it normally resided in but she had always been able to hold it back, to keep it from overtaking her until now. Korra felt her sense of self fading away as it seized control of her and the parlor disappeared in a haze of white light.

"Korra! Stop! Please!"

The sound of Asami screaming her name cut through the anger and her vision slowly returned as the blinding light vanished. Korra's head slowly turned from one side to the other as the realization of what had just happened sank in. The glass window had been shattered into pieces and the table holding their food could be seen lying on the grass outside. Inside was another matter, smashed plates, broken chairs and a dozen spikes of ice all aimed at the corner where Asami was cowering, her arms over her face.

Korra took one step back and then another as the spikes dissolved into puddles on the floor. She turned and ran for the door. Where to she didn't know, but being anywhere else was better than being here. Better than having to face the look on Asami's face.

Fear.


	13. Request or Order?

Kuvira's attack on Republic City was devastating. Each step of the mecha suit had left a giant footprint behind on the streets as it had advanced into the heart of the city. The spirit energy cannon on her giant mecha suit had been powerful enough to destroy battleships and lay waste to large swathes of the city in a single shot. And Kuvira had been given plenty of reasons to fire as Korra and her allies fought tooth and nail against the metal behemoth for every block. At the end of it downtown had been transformed into a smoldering ruin and the barrier dividing the world of mortals and spirits had been torn for a third time.

Raiko had made the decision not to rebuild the ruins and instead expand the city further inland away from the newly made Spirit Portal. The army had created a fortified perimeter around the Spirit Portal in order to keep people out for their own protection but there was another problem that had to be solved. The residents and businesses that had been located downtown were relocating to new premises but the buildings they had occupied weren't all abandoned now. After the legitimate occupants had vacated, the not so legitimate groups had moved in. Drug dens, scavengers, gambling and whorehouses had all set up shop along with all of the people who had joined the ranks of the homeless after losing everything in the attack.

Lin Beifong and the police were doing what they could but Republic City's economy had been shattered and there were plenty of people who had nowhere else to turn but the Triads. The few newspapers still in circulation had mockingly labeled it the world's largest game of whack-a-badgermole. Every time the police shut one operation down two more popped up elsewhere in another part of the vast ruins left behind. Eventually Raiko had been forced to adopt a scorched earth policy and they began to demolish what was left of downtown, one building at a time.

Korra paused in the middle of the hallway to stop and take a drink from the jug she had hanging off her belt. She had been expecting that demolishing the buildings would be a simple matter of leveling them and hauling off the rubble but that hadn't been the case. Some of these places had been residential dwellings but most of them had been corporate offices or places of business. The major goal was to retrieve as much paperwork and assets for these companies as they could. Typically that meant finding money but mostly it was about getting the equipment and in some cases furniture. After everything had been taken from the offices was when Korra started working. Destroying the buildings was the goal but not until everything of value had been taken out.

She hooked the jug back onto her belt and stretched one hand out to the wall on her left. Nothing happened at first but then the metal hidden behind the thin layers of plaster and wood burst free. Cords of copper and water pipes made of steel came out to briefly float in the air in front of the Avatar before she sent them flying off to join the pile of scrap metal that she had already gathered. It wasn't exactly the most thrilling or glamorous of jobs but the city was bleeding money and every piece of metal she recovered was a piece they wouldn't have to dig out of the ground. It wasn't exactly the kind of thing Korra had been expecting to do but it helped out with the crime spike and this was just the sort of mind numbing work she needed to take her mind off what had happened during her meeting with Asami over the past week.

There was a short cough from behind her and she turned to see one of the laborers she had been working with standing there. "Begging your pardon Avatar Korra but there's a courier out front. He won't tell us what he wants, just that he has a message for you."

The man in question was standing next to a car parked on the side of the road outside. It wasn't anyone she recognized but he looked like a government employee if his tailored suit and slicked back hair were any indication. He stepped forward and bowed ever so slightly as she approached the vehicle. "My apologies for the short notice but President Raiko has requested your presence."

Korra frowned slightly as she brushed some white debris from the plaster off of her shoulder. "Raiko wants to see me? Did he say what he wants?"

"I don't know, only that it's an extremely urgent manner and that I should fetch you as soon as possible."

He opened the car door for her to get in but Korra shook her head. "I have my own ride and I know the way." She stuck thumb and finger in her mouth and whistled. "Naga!" Her animal friend since childhood leaped to her feet and bounded over, tongue lolling out of her mouth. The government worker raised one hand as if to ward something away as he retreated until his back hit his car. Korra had to suppress a grin at his obvious wariness of the polar bear dog and she snapped the reins once to get going after hopping onto Naga's back.

City Hall hadn't been affected by the attack but much of the surrounding area had been damaged by those cannon blasts and the fires that had followed afterwords. Supposedly Raiko had tried to keep his administration in the building but he had been overruled and the government had temporarily relocated to Air Temple Island until their new facilities had been constructed. It would have been nice to see Tenzin and his family but they were all in the Earth Kingdom with Prince Wu except for Pema and her youngest child Rohan. Talking to Pema about her situation with Asami could be helpful but the courier was clearly in a rush and led her straight to the President's makeshift office after they arrived on the island.

This room wasn't as glamorous or ornate as his office in City Hall had been but Raiko's desk and chairs from there had somehow found their way in here. Raiko was seated in his cushy chair while General Iroh stiffly stood at attention. The president rose to his feet as Korra entered the room and he bowed ever so slightly. "Avatar Korra, my apologies for summoning you so abruptly but this is an urgent matter that can't wait. Please be seated."

She glanced at Iroh out of the corner of her eye before seating herself in one of the three chairs in front of the desk. Once she had sat down Raiko lifted a folder off the desk and held it out towards her. The uppermost piece of paper had a man's photograph at the top with the name 'Chou' written just under it. Beneath that was an acronym she vaguely recognized as a degree from what Asami had once told her was one of the more prestigious universities in Republic City. Korra looked up from the folder as she spoke to Raiko. "Who is this?"

"His name is Chou. He was born in a small farming town a days travel or so to the south but he excelled in school and was awarded a scholarship to Republic City Tech. His time there passed without any notable distinctions but he graduated with a degree in electrical engineering technology. After graduating he worked for Cabbage Corp until they were shut down during the Equalist rebellion and he went to work for one of Varrick's companies. His work wasn't anything of real importance at first but when Varrick began researching spirit energy Chou was one of the technologists who helped manufacture the equipment that ended up being used in Kuvira's spirit energy cannon."

Korra frowned as she looked at the picture again before returning her attention to the president. "Okay, so he helped build that weapon. But it was destroyed along with the mecha suit, what's so important about him now?" she asked.

"Because he disappeared sometime after Kuvira took Zaofu. Our intelligence's best guess is that he realized Kuvira was using Varricks's research to make weapons and he fled with his notes. He remained off the radar until a few days ago when he was caught sneaking into one of the United Republic's embassies." Raiko paused to give Iroh a look but the general didn't react and the president began speaking once again. "It seems that certain parties were aware of his work and they made him an offer that he was desperate for. Asylum and protection from Kuvira in exchange for his notes on the manufacturing of the cells used to power Kuvira's weapon."

Korra closed the folder setting it back down on the desk and she folded her arms as she cocked her head to one side slightly. "So what exactly are you asking me to do?"

Raiko shook his head as he steepled his fingers. "Chou was smuggled out of the United Republic's embassy and here to Republic City as soon as he told us what was happening. There is going to be a convention held in ten days to ratify a treaty banning all research and use of spirit energy technology. All of the world leaders are going to be present along with notable dignitaries and relevant public figures. Varrick and his wife Zhu Li will be there to answer any questions regarding spirit energy since they were the ones who invented it. I would like Chou to be there as well so he can do the same. There's a small problem however. His former employers are unlikely to take his… resignation well and I have reason to believe his life may be in jeopardy. I want you and General Iroh to guard him until the convention."

Iroh stirred at that and he frowned slightly as he spoke. "Excuse me if this seems out of turn but I have to question my assignment to this task. I have submitted my official resignation to the United Republic military and it should be accepted any day now. In addition I am still a general and it is... highly unusual to assign an officer of my rank to duty as a bodyguard. I formally request not to be reassigned to this task."

Korra had incurred Raiko's enmity once before and had been exiled from Republic City as a result of it but the vindictive smile on his face now almost made that seem like a happy memory. "Request denied. I am aware your resignation was submitted but there have been complications with its processing. You originally enlisted in the military when it was run by the world council, not my government. Combine that with the fact that you actually aren't a citizen of the United Republic and I'm sure you can understand the difficulties in determining the proper pension you should receive after retirement. And until the paperwork is fully processed you are still a general of the United Republic and I fully expect you to do your duty. Do I make myself clear?"

The president waited until Iroh saluted before turning his attention back to Korra. "Chou is currently being guarded in a room a few doors from here. I regret having to involve you in this matter Avatar Korra but I fear there are informants in my government so we cannot provide any more assistance other than the general without compromising this job. However I have complete confidence in your abilities to ensure Chou makes it to this convention safe and sound."

"Smug piece of trash." Iroh muttered to himself once they had left the office and were walking down the hall. Korra stopped in her tracks and folded her arms as she looked at him inquistively. Iroh glanced down the hall at the guard before speaking in a low voice to avoid being overheard. "What Raiko said about Chou's work for Varrick was true but he neglected to mention one important piece of information. The person Chou gave his notes to is the leader of a house in the Fire Nation."

Now that was something Korra hadn't been expecting to hear today and now that she had heard it Korra very, _very_ quickly found herself wishing she hadn't. Someone else was pursuing spirit energy technology. Someone in the Fire Nation was pursuing spirit energy technology. The Fire Nation. The nation that had started the Hundred-Year War. The people who had invaded the Earth Kingdom, taken Omashu and Ba Sing Se. The ones who had abducted benders from the Southern Water Tribe and besieged the Northern Water Tribe for nearly a century. The empire that had murdered all but one of the Air Nomads. If word of this got out there would be protests and riots in every major city outside of the Fire Nation.

Korra snuck a glance at the guard before replying in a heated whisper. "What are you saying? The Fire Nation is trying to get their hands on spirit energy weapons? How could you let that happen? You've seen what those things can do, those weapons put everyone at risk if they fall into the wrong hands."

Iroh put his hands up as if to fend off an attack. "I know all that and its not just something my mother and I have turned a blind eye to. Fire Nation politics are... complicated but trust me we're actively working against it in our own way."

"Care to give me an example?" asked Korra.

"How do you think Chou got to the United Republic's embassy? We took him there so that they would get him out of the Fire Nation. I should be back home right now to deal with this but Raiko's desire for revenge against me and my mother is keeping me here."

Now that wasn't something Korra had known about. "Desire for revenge? Why would he want revenge on either of you?"

"Raiko's been involved with the United Republic's government for a long time even in the days when it was run by the council. He and my mother have clashed on multiple occasions over the years but Kuvira's attack has pushed him to the point where he's almost completely unreasonable now. My mother refused to help him launch a preemptive strike against Kuvira and he showed everyone who voted for him that he's a coward when he caved to Kuvira's ultimatum. I was ready to fight and defend the city but he caved and everyone knows it. It's the latest humiliation he's had to endure during his term as president and now he wants to drag me down with him on his way out of office. If we keep Chou alive then he's going to tell everyone that the Fire Nation is trying to build spirit energy weapons. If I refuse to do it or fail then he can accuse me of being directly involved and I'll be court martialed. But Raiko was right about one thing, he knows that I'll do my duty."

Iroh sighed and shook his head as he considered the task laid in front of them. "I suppose the question is figuring out where we can take Chou to keep him safe... wait I have it. I remember speaking to Prince Wu before he left for the Earth Kingdom a few weeks ago. He told me that he had been hiding at Asami Sato's estate. That's where we should go. It's isolated so there's almost no traffic and it'll be easy to hide an extra person in a place that big."

Korra's face froze at the idea he had come up with. Going back there wasn't something she wanted to consider but explaining why was out of the question. Plus if she was being honest with herself it _was_ the best idea either of them would be able to come up and Iroh was already opening the door to Chou's room as she stared at Iroh's back, unable to muster a reply.

But the conversations waiting in store for her weren't ones she was looking forward to.


	14. Clarity

"Absolutely not. This is my home, not a hotel. There's plenty of those in the city, go take him to one of them." Asami's arms were folded as she frowned at the general asking her to shelter a stranger in her home and on her driveway no less.

Iroh turned his head to one side towards the car that the Avatar was hiding in before clearing his throat. "I can understand your reluctance for your mansion to be used as a safe house but this is a matter of the utmost importance. If you won't cooperate then I have full legal authority to commandeer your mansion due to matters of national security."

"Matters of national security." Asami repeated his last words in in the flattest, most neutral tone he had ever heard. "I don't believe you. Only the president's office can issue those warrants and he would never give something like that to you General Iroh. Even lying about having one of those is something that could get you in trouble and I have the best lawyers in the city on retainer. One phone call and you'll get swamped in so much red tape that you won't be able to retire for years. Who is this and why is he so important?" She pointed at the man who had accompanied Iroh here.

The general sighed and rubbed his eyes before giving up the bluff. "Okay okay you're right, I made that up. I can't make you do this, I can only ask for your help. His name is Chou and he's a technician that used to work for Varrick. Their last project together was when Varrick was developing spirit energy and I don't need to tell you what happened with that."

Asami began to frown as she looked at Chou. "Spirit energy? But all of Varrick's work and notes were destroyed. No one knows how to reproduce it except for him and Zhu Li."

Iroh started to answer but Chou stepped forward interjecting himself into the conversation. "I'm afraid that's no longer the case Miss Sato. I've never really understood Varrick's theories on spirit energy but I knew enough to build the capsules he stored the vines in. And my notes weren't destroyed, I took them with me when I ran away after learning what Kuvira planned to do with them."

"You ran? Where to?" asked Asami.

"I was offered sanctuary by a house in the Fire Nation in exchange for my notes. It's a decision I wish I could take back but I was desperate to get away from Kuvira." Chou kept talking after that, something about a convention, but Asami wasn't listening anymore.

A house from the Fire Nation was in pursuit of spirit energy. Something clicked in her head and all the pieces began to coalesce together forming a picture that she had been unable to see until now. Everything that had happened to her and Korra since arriving in the Fire Nation suddenly began to make sense.

"Hello? Miss Sato?"

Asami's moment of clarity was broken by the technician's voice forcing itself into her internal reverie. Using her mansion to hide him hadn't been her choice but now that she knew what the stakes were... "Sorry, I got a little distracted. Speak to my butler and he'll take you to the panic room." She gestured towards the doorway where her butler was watching them from a distance in the event that he might be needed for anything. Chou scurried away but not without an apprehensive look behind him towards Republic City.

Her eyes followed him as he spoke to the butler and the two of them headed inside her mansion. Once they were out of sight her gaze swung back to the man still here with her. Iroh had been a member of the United Republic's military for two decades and one of its most celebrated generals but now the only thing she could see was the Crown Prince of a particular nation.

"That's what all of this is about. Houses still loyal to Ozai and his predecessors are trying to get their hands on spirit energy weapons. Do you know what's going to happen if they succeed?" asked Asami, an incredulous expression on her face.

"It'll mean war, a very bloody war. Too many people grew up hearing stories of the atrocities the Fire Nation committed for the other nations to stand by and let us develop spirit energy weapons. But my mother and I have no intentions of letting things get that far."

"And how exactly do you plan on stopping them?" asked Asami. "Because it sounds like you've known this whole time and haven't done anything yet. Do you even know what house is responsible?"

Iroh merely shook his head, seemingly bemused by her questions and the not so disguised criticism of their efforts. "Yes we know what house is behind all of this but we can't openly move against them. It's a small house, quite new in fact, but if my mother attacked them then the other houses would unite against us and my mother would be usurped, if not killed outright. We've hardly been idle however and things are proceeding reasonably well though we've had a setback here or there."

She reached up to rub her temples with both hands hoping to ease the headache that she had just developed. "That's why you invited me to the Fire Nation. That woman got all the contracts by promising spirit energy weapons to Ozai's supporters but she didn't just want to give them away because that would take away her leverage. So you had to get them out of her hands to try and undermine her position. That night before we left, Korra and I went to go see a play, we were barely gone half an hour. When we got back to the villa your mother was already there and it had been completely trashed. She did that didn't she? So that she had an excuse to give me the contracts. One nobody could argue with because the Avatar was involved and it was a matter of face for the Fire Nation. "

The prince clasped his hands behind him and the faintest shadow of a grin was present before vanishing behind that stoicism he normally wore on his face. "Some very interesting ideas Miss Sato. I can't say whether they are true or not but I would be curious to see what else you may have deduced from Chou's little revelation."

What else she might have figured out... clearly he was hinting at something here, the question was what. Spirit energy. Infrastructure contracts. Korra's dinner with Iroh. A seminar on how to fight metalbenders... now that Kuvira's army had been disbanded there were only two places with a significant group of people who could bend metal. Zaofu and... "They're going to attack Republic City once they have the weapons. Why?"

Iroh gave her an appraising look. "Well that's an interesting question. I'm not saying that they will attack the city of course but it would be a smart tactical decision. Republic City's location is an ideal staging point if your goal is to take over the Earth Kingdom. It has one of the world's largest harbors and it can easily accommodate the transport of troops and supplies. Not to mention it has an abundance of spirit vines to power spirit energy weapons. Of course this is all hypothetical and I'm certainly not privy to any plans regarding an attack on Republic City or anywhere else."

Asami looked to the west, the same direction as Chou had, for a moment. The Fire Nation was hundreds of kilometers away but it still felt like she could see their shadow reaching towards from her beyond the horizon. "Republic City barely survived that giant mech of Kuvira's. Another one of those and the United Republic would fall."

His eyes flicked away for a moment and Asami followed his gaze to see he was sneaking a peek at the car he and Chou had arrived in. Iroh had been driving the vehicle but Chou had been in the back seat. If there was still someone in there then they likely had been in the front passenger side and were keeping out of sight for some reason. "I mean no offense Asami, you're a brilliant engineer, but military strategy isn't one of your areas of expertise however it is mine. Building oversized... constructs I suppose is the right word now is a trait of the Earth Kingdom's military. The walls of Ba Sing Se, the chasm surrounding Omashu, the domes of Zaofu, Kuvira's mech and that energy weapon of hers are all examples of that philosophy. The emphasis on size isn't entirely without merit but they adhere to it so strongly that it makes them inflexible more often than not. The Fire Nation on the other hand believes very strongly in flexibility, in being able to adapt to whatever your opponents throw at you. We, or I should say they since I'm not part of the house in question, wouldn't build a giant weapon like Kuvira did. They would focus on creating a variety of weapons that be used for different purposes. Cannons that could be mounted on tanks or battleships, perhaps even versions small enough to replace the spears that our regular infantry carries."

"But if the weapons are smaller they wouldn't be able to do as much damage. One shot from Kuvira's weapon was enough to destroy battleships or demolish entire buildings." Asami pointed out.

"That's a fair point but you haven't thought it through yet. Kuvira's weapon was extremely powerful but it was a blunt instrument lacking in finesse. It could destroy large targets easily enough but it wasn't very good at dealing with smaller, faster opponents like Korra or the Airbenders. That wouldn't be true in this case. Instead of one large and very obvious target to focus on you'd be dealing with an entire army equipped with spirit energy weapons. Of course this is all hypothetical, I don't actually have any knowledge of what their plans are but that's what I would be doing in their place."

Asami pursed her lips as she shook her head. "I don't think you're giving Kuvira's mech enough credit. I was there with the rest of them during the battle and it took everything we had to destroy the mech. And even after the mech was gone the cannon still packed enough punch to create a new Spirit Portal."

Iroh raised his hand to his chin as he considered the matter. "I watched the battle for as long as I could but it didn't take long for the mech to disappear among the buildings downtown. How the battle played out I can only guess at. I suppose I am underestimating Kuvira's creation but I still feel the Fire Nation would be more effective with spirit energy weapons though I have to plead guilty to being biased towards my home on the matter. But we've wasted enough time on speculation out here while Chou is unguarded inside."

She wasn't going to let him end this particularly illuminating conversation, at least not while she still had some unanswered questions. "Why you? You being assigned to guard Chou means this had to come from up on high, maybe Raiko himself. Why would they assign you of all people to this mission? You're the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation and it's a house from your nation that's developing spirit energy weapons. What is going on here? Having you guard Chou is a huge conflict of interest. There isn't a single person in the United Republic who would benefit more from his dying or disappearing than you."

"There's going to be a convention a little over a week from now. It hasn't been formally announced yet but the leaders of every nation plus representatives from the Earth Kingdom will be in attendance. The purpose is to discuss and ratify an international treaty banning spirit energy technology. It's almost a charade since no one is foolish enough to publicly oppose it but they'll have to spend time haggling out the punishments for rule breakers. President Raiko has a surprise planned however. Chou is scheduled to make an announcement that there's a house in the Fire Nation currently developing spirit energy weapons. I'm sure you can figure out what the fallout from that will be."'

Asami hadn't voted for Raiko during the United Republic's first election and he had done little to sway her dislike of his political stances since then. However she had never imagined he would try something like this. "You can't be serious. Is he trying to start a war? There's no way the other nations will stand by and let that happen. Everyone will start mobilizing their armies the second they get their hands on a phone. What is he thinking?"

Iroh shrugged and stuck his hands into the pockets of his coat. "The next election will be happening in a few month and Raiko's term as president has gone poorly overall. Too many disasters and setbacks for him to have good odds of holding onto his office. This is his last chance to make an impact and hopefully sway voters back onto his side before the campaigns begin."

"That doesn't answer the question of why you General Iroh. Surely Raiko has people without any stake in this business that could guard him." She pointed out.

"Because it means I'll be in the room when it happens. The United Republic sees me as one of their generals but after this public opinion will turn against me since I'm the Fire Lord's son. Word is already starting to get around that I intend to retire and that will look bad in combination with this. But it's pretty much what we expected to happen. Anyways I think we've left Chou alone for long enough. Do you mind if I go inside now? I do need to know where this panic room of yours is however."

Asami nodded slowly as her eyes meandered away to the car and its tinted windows. "My butler will find you once you're inside." Iroh bowed somewhat and took off leaving Asami behind.

This conversation had answered some of the questions that had been brewing since her trip but she could still that he was still holding things back. But what or why Asami wasn't uncertain of and she wasn't sure that she actually wanted to know right now. That was a problem for another time however and now she had to deal with a more important one right now. Asami walked over to the car and pulled the passenger door open to the surprise of the person sitting inside. "Hello Korra, I think we need to talk."


	15. Surrender (smut)

"Hello Korra, I think we need to talk."

The Avatar looked out of the car to see Asami standing there, one hand on the open door and the other on the roof of the car that Iroh had driven here. "We do? You were talking to General Iroh for a while. He explained what was going on didn't he?"

"Iroh told me about Chou and how he was involved in this whole spirit energy mess. I agreed to let Chou hide here until the convention but that's not what we need to talk about." said Asami.

Korra looked down at her feet, no longer able to meet Asami's eyes. "Oh. That." Calling it 'That' was the understatement of the year in Asami's opinion. Their last conversation had ended with Asami cowering in the corner as Korra had torn the parlor room apart in a blind rage, not to mention very nearly impaling Asami with spikes of glistening ice.

"Yes. That. But not here, let's go to my office. This is a conversation best held behind closed doors."

Asami extended one hand to Korra to help her out of the car and for a moment the two of them were eye to eye but once again Korra looked away, unable to maintain eye contact. Neither of them spoke on their way inside but Asami reached down to grab Korra's hand so that she was communicating something at the very least.

Once they had reached the office, Asami shut the door behind them then made a beeline towards her the chair behind her desk. She reached down to open one of her desk drawers and pulled out a rectangular object wrapped in silver paper. "After you left I spent the rest of the night thinking about what happened." Asami set the package down on the desk as she continued. "I knew you were going to be angry when I told you that I had blocked your bending but I never would have expected you to react so... violently. It was like you went into the Avatar State but your eyes never stopped glowing like they're supposed to. What happened?"

The Avatar gave the silver package a curious look as she sat down on one of the chairs in front of the desk. "I did go into the Avatar State, but not on purpose... I'm so sorry about what happened Asami. I was just so angry and I lost control..."

"It wasn't on purpose? I thought you had to consciously activate it or something like that. You can go into it accidentally? How?" asked Asami.

"Maybe accidentally is the wrong word. I've told you about Raava and how she's bonded to the spirits of the Avatars right?" Asami nodded and Korra kept going. "It's kinda hard to explain and I've never fully understood it myself but the fact that we're connected means she feels everything I do and that's the problem. Raava's not a human, she's a spirit and they don't respond to emotions the same way as humans do. Stuff like joy or love affects them just like us, but anger and rage has a much stronger effect on them than it does us."

"So whenever you get angry, Raava feels it? But you've always been something of a hothead, doesn't that mean you're at risk of losing control a lot of the time?"

Korra grimaced and she looked away from Asami yet again. "Kinda. It didn't use to be an issue, but after Unalaq things got a lot harder to deal with. It's like Raava is having a harder time coping with being connected to a human. I can handle most things but stuff that's extra hard on me emotionally... well you saw what happened last week..."

"So that was Raava then? Not you? I mean I understand why you were so angry but if it wasn't you..."

The Avatar shook her head as she rejected the notion. "No, I can't use that as an excuse. I've always had issues with my temper but I've always been able to keep my connection with Raava under control until now. Blaming her for this would just be making excuses. The person at fault is me."

"Is it? You were angry because of something I did." Asami pointed out. "If I hadn't taken your bending then you wouldn't have lost control the way you did that evening."

That made Korra pause and she glanced around the room before her eyes fell on the package Asami had set on the desk. "What's that?"

It was a blatantly obvious attempt to change the subject but Asami chose to let it slide by without comment. "Let's call this an attempt at a peace offering."

Korra picked the so called peace offering up and shook it slightly but there was no noise from whatever was inside. She glanced at Asami inquisitively before tearing the paper off to reveal a thick book bound in leather. "You got me a book?" asked the Avatar as she opened it up. ''In memory of my husband, Avatar Aang." She read out loud. Korra recognized the signature of her first bending instructor beneath the dedication and she quickly flipped to the table of contents skimming over it before looking back up at Asami. "This looks like a healing manual but Katara's never published anything like that. Where did you get this?"

Asami closed the drawer next to her before answering the question. "Before the incident we were talking about your healing abilities and whether or not you'd considered learning more advanced techniques. I contacted Katara the next day to ask her about it and she told me that she had been working on this. It's half instructional manual and half an account of her experiences as a healer throughout her life."

The Avatar frowned as she looked at the book again. "But Katara lives in the South Pole and this isn't handwritten, it's printed. Plus it's only been a week, how did you get your hands on this so quickly?"

Sato waved a hand dismissively. "You seem to keep forgetting that I'm rich Korra. Katara and I spoke to her editor and had them print me a copy. After that I paid the shipping company extra for them to put it on their fastest boat and bring it to Republic City."

Korra looked down at the book trembling in her hands as the words sunk in and suddenly she found it hard to speak past the lump in her throat. "You did this for me? After … why?"

Asami got up out of her chair and moved to stand next to Korra while putting one hand on her shoulder. "Because I know you didn't really mean it. You were just lashing out because of how angry you were. I knew you weren't going to be happy when you heard what I had done but I didn't expect you to react as strongly as you did."

Korra closed the book and set it down on the table as she turned to face Asami. "I guess that makes sense, but there's something I still don't understand. I can accept you making a mistake about how strongly I'd react but I don't understand why you blocked my bending in the first place. You wouldn't do something like that unless there was a good reason for it. I've been trying to figure out why but none of the explanations I come up with are any good. So... why?"

She pulled her hand off Korra's shoulder and turned to lean against her desk as she glanced at the floor. "Why did I block your bending? Because I was afraid. The cardinal rule of bondage is safety. The person being restrained is usually the only one at risk but that's only true if the sub isn't a bender. I don't mean to be insulting but you're a novice and you've only scratched the surface of the things this kink encompasses. It's not uncommon for scenes to be intense mentally, emotionally and physically for the sub. Sometimes the sub handles it but sometimes they don't and things can go wrong in any number of ways. They might start crying, space out or even go into shock in rare cases."

Asami looked up from the carpet to meet Korra's gaze as she continued trying to explain this. "If the sub is a bender then bondage becomes a lot harder and more dangerous. The basics of tying up a bender isn't any different but you have to take a lot of extra precautions with them. All it takes is a twitch of the fingers or a kick of the legs and things can go horribly wrong. A burst of flame and someone gets burned or maybe they're in a building made out of stone and the sub starts tearing chunks out of the walls and ceiling. It's possible to work around their bending but some tops refuse to work with benders because of the risk."

"And then there's you. Dealing with a regular bender can be a pain but they pale in comparison to the challenge you present Korra. You can bend all four elements, Suyin taught you how to bend metal and the Avatar State makes you stronger. Safely doing a scene with you is next to impossible but there is one way. Blocking your chi. So when you said you were interested in trying a scene with me, I was torn. On one hand I was excited to be doing this with you but on the other I was scared because of what I knew I had to do. I should have talked it over with you beforehand but I didn't really think you would be interested in bondage after you had tried it."

Korra sat herself down on the desk next to Asami. "Why not?" she asked. "We talked about it that night in the Fire Nation. I told you then I was interested then and again before we actually did it. I was nervous but I wanted to keep an open mind and I did."

"It's because you're aren't just Korra, you're Avatar Korra. Master of all the elements, protector of the balance between the four nations, the bridge between men and spirits and what not. The Avatars have always been more figures of myth than actual people and you're no different. We've known each other for years and you're my best friend and all but I'm still having a hard time believing the fact that the Avatar was willing to let me tie her up and have my way with her body."

The Avatar giggled at that and reached up to touch Asami's cheek. "Well then pretend I'm two different people. When I'm out trying to save the world I'm Avatar Korra. But when we're alone together I'm your pet and you're my mistress. And we are alone right now."

That brought Asami to a halt and she felt her mind go blank at the implication in Korra's words. "You want to…? Right now? After what we were just talking about and while Chou is here? And what about the whole chi blocking stuff? That's what set you off last week and I'd have to do it again if you really want to keep doing scenes with me."

Suddenly Korra was on her feet and their bodies tightly pressed together as she fiercely embraced Asami. "I know. But what you said makes sense and it's something that never occurred to me and I've realized something now that you've told me everything. I'm not mad you took my bending anymore now that I understand why you did it. I just wish you had talked about this with me ahead of time so that none of this would have happened."

Asami squirmed around a bit trying to relieve some of the pressure she was feeling from those muscled arms squeezing her torso. "So we're okay then? You're not mad anymore?"

Korra dropped her head against Asami's shoulder. "We're okay Asami and no I'm not mad now. Though if you don't feel like tying me up right now I might go to my room and pout. But I'll understand if you're not in the mood for it."

The two of them looked at each other for a moment and then Asami was tilting Korra's chin up as their lips came together. The first kiss was soft but in a few short seconds their lips were crushed together and one of Asami's hands had dropped down to squeeze the Avatar's rear. After another minute Korra pulled away and smiled at the breathless look on her lovers face. "I'll take that as a yes. Shall we?"

She could have said yes but the way Asami pulled on her hand as she half led and half pulled the Avatar through the halls towards her bedroom amounted to the same thing. Once inside Asami gently pushed Korra down to sit on the edge of the bed. "I know we just talked about this but I want to make sure we're both on the same page. If we do this then I have to block your bending but I'll give it back afterwards. So if you want to say no then this is your last chance Korra."

Korra shook her head and kicked her boots off before scooting further onto the large bed and laid down, hands resting on her stomach. "I'm not going to change my mind Asami. The block is temporary and it's a price I'm willing to pay so that we can share this with each other."

So that was that. This really was going to keep happening. Asami's focus shifted away from making sure Korra consented to this towards the elements this scene would include. "Okay then. Do you want me to film this scene? We did it last time but I don't know if that did anything for you or not."

The Avatar turned her head from one side to the other as she looked around for the camera in question. A week had gone by but it was still resting on the same chair as before, albeit near the wall instead of at the side of the bed like during their last scene. "Sure why not. But how much could it see from that angle we had it at before? I don't suppose there's something you could do about that is there?"

Asami glanced at the camera then looked at her bed as she considered the possibilities. Some sort of top down angle would be best. Figuring out the ideal location would take her some doing however. It would need to be close enough to capture as much detail as possible but at the same time it needed to be far enough away that everything she did to Korra was in frame. She slipped out of her shoes before picking the camera and standing on top of the bed above the Avatar. The film from last time was still in the camera but there more than enough unused film for tonight. Asami put her eye against the camera's viewfinder and she pointed its lens at Korra as she started recording. "How about you take off your clothes while I figure out where this needs to go."

Korra bit her lip and she sat up before beginning to undress herself. In the meantime Asami was slowly moving around the bed but she stopped when Korra's bra came off. "I don't think I'm ever going to get tired of seeing those. Have I told you your breasts are amazing lately Korra?" The Avatar blushed and shook her head then reached down to undo her pants. Once she was completely naked Asami knelt down in front of Korra. "Spread your legs for me pet. I love her entire body but this is my absolute favorite part." Asami leaned forward until the camera's lens was only a few inches away from Korra's groin. "The Avatar's pussy and it's all mine." She turned the camera around to point back up at her face and made a lewd flicking motion with her tongue.

Korra's face went red when she saw that little gesture of Asami's and her head tilted down to look at her exposed crotch. "Is that what you're planning to do?"

Asami simply smiled as she got back up to her feet. "That would be telling pet." She glanced up at the top of her before setting the camera down making sure to keep its lens aimed at the so-called 'perfect pussy'. "Keep your legs open while I get things ready pet so it gets a nice long look." Asami hopped off the bed and she dropped down to the floor as she started fetching items from beneath the bed frame. The camera wasn't alive, it was just an inanimate object incapable of thinking or feeling. But the glowing red light on the front of it and that circular lens pointed straight at her made Korra feel like she was being watched and being judged by her future audience. In truth though only two people were ever going to see this, the first was her mistress and the second was Korra herself. Her hands crept down and she took hold of her folds spreading them wide to either side in order to give the best view possible for when they watched this later on.

When Asami came back up from beneath the bed she dumped a few coils of jute rope and a roll of a metallic colored tape down next to Korra. In addition she had a gift bag in hand as she clambered back onto the bed and began setting things up. Asami began ripping lengths of the tape off and pressing one end of them onto the wooden roof of the bed. Once she had affixed something in the vicinity of twenty strips Asami picked the camera up and began fastening it up there. After she was done the thing looked more like a misshapen silver blob than it did a camera but it was at the right angle and securely held in place by all that tape. Asami turned her attention back towards Korra to see her legs were still held open but with the added bonus of fingers spreading her folds as well. "Well pet it seems you're showing some initiative. Now how about you get up here and undress me?"

Korra let go of herself and quickly stood up to begin undoing the buttons on the jacket in front of her as she hurriedly undressed her mistress. The two of them had done most of this with each other once before already but this was something new. Once she slid those panties off of Asami's feet Korra stepped back to look at her mistress's nude body for the first time. Asami flipped her hair back behind her shoulders and lifted her arms up into the air as she struck a mock pose. "So pet, what do you think?"

It wasn't until this moment that Korra could really see how different their bodies really were. Korra was easily the shorter of the two and the height disparity only made her corded muscles seem all even bulkier in comparison to those lean arms and legs that went on forever. And then there was the contrast between their skin colors, Korra was every bit the chocolate hue common among the Water Tribes while Asami's skin was closer to ivory. Korra swallowed and she fiddled with the hair below her ear as she took the view in. "It's not just your hair that's perfect... it's all of you. You don't have any flaws... at all."

Asami smiled softly and waved her finger in a circle beckoning the Avatar to turn around. Korra slowly turned to face the other direction and closed her eyes knowing what was coming. There had been times in years gone by when her bending had been forcibly blocked or taken away but those had been at the hands of her enemies. But now she was giving it up of her own free will to the woman who was both her lover and mistress. Asami's fingers were gentle but each nudge against her spine felt as heavy as the blows of a battering ram against a castle gate. "Okay Ko – pet, I want you to see if you can bend anything right now."

She held one palm up towards the ceiling and tried to will a flame into existence. Nothing. Then a swirl of air. Nothing again. Her bending was blocked. Korra shook her head and turned back around to face Asami. "It's gone mistress."

Asami took a step closer pulling Korra against her bare chest and kissed her forehead. "You're doing wonderful pet, I'm proud of you. Now lie down for me." Once Korra was on her back Asami picked up one of the white coils of rope and began unwinding it. "Bend your knees for me pet." She started by wrapping the rope around Korra's right ankle but after a few loops she pulled Korra's right wrist in adding it to the hitch she was weaving. Asami grabbed the second coil of rope and moved over to fasten an identical hitch on the other pair of ankle and wrist.

Korra could feel her breath catching in her throat as Asami pulled the rope taut and the second knot was complete. None of this was a first for the Avatar. Her bending had been blocked before in the past and she had been tied up on more than one occasion but it had always been one or the other, never both. At least until her first time with Asami but she hadn't known that and therein was the crucial difference. Korra had mistakenly believed her bending to be present last time but that illusion no longer existed. Her bending had been blocked and Korra knew it. In addition now that the knots were in place her hands were securely bound to her ankles, unable to free themselves. Korra had never been so vulnerable, so utterly helpless before. She was completely unable to defend herself in any way shape or form for the first time in her life and yet she had never felt as excited as she did now. Just the fact that Asami could do whatever she wanted without Korra being able to stop her, aside from her safeword, was enough to make the Avatar's pulse quicken. "So what now mistress?"

Asami licked her lips as she admired her handiwork for a few seconds. "Well that's a good question but telling you would ruin the surprise. Our last scene was fun and you had a couple of nice orgasms but it was over too quickly. I'm going to be taking my time here so you'd best get comfortable because you're not going anywhere for a while." Korra shivered at the promise those words contained and then Asami's hair was blocking out everything else as she came in for a kiss. One kiss led to a second and then a score but Korra wasn't interested in counting them, only that they never stopped. She softly growled in discontent when Asami pulled away but those lips ignored it as they moved down along her chin and onto her neck. Korra tilted her head to one side giving Asami even greater access and was rewarded with a rough bite provoking a quiet yelp from the Avatar. Asami immediately sat up and pushed her hair out of the way so she could see. "Are you okay? That didn't sound good to me."

"That hurt. You're supposed to tell me if you're about to do something that could hurt. Isn't that what we agreed on?" asked Korra.

Asami's cheeks reddened as she realized that she had made the same mistake again. "You're right. I did say that, I'm sorry. I'm just having a hard time holding back. As soon as your clothes are on the floor my brain starts switching off and all I want to do is ravish you."

Korra gave a small, almost shy, smile in response. "Nice to know my body affects you that much. I do want you to ravish me but be gentle about it. Please."

"Well all right then. Now where was I?" asked Asami. She didn't bother waiting for an answer as she picked up where she had left off. One last kiss on the spot she had just bitten and then her mouth was moving along the collarbone and down towards the peaks below. Korra shivered and she felt a pleasant warmth sparking between her legs as the kisses climbed her breast towards the nipple at the very top. Asami's eyes flicked up towards Korra's face as she took it into her mouth swirling her tongue around and lightly sucking on it. The Avatar moaned softly and Asami could feel the bud stiffening as her tongue brushed against it again and again. Staying there wouldn't have bothered Asami in the slightest but she had a more interesting destination in mind than this and she sat up to start over on the Avatar's other end. Asami pressed her lips to the top of Korra's knee gradually making her way down to where the rope bound wrist to ankle. She pressed her lips to the center of the palm there before turning her head to give Korra a smile. "That was a nice warm-up but now it's time for the main course."

The meaning of that sentence went over Korra's head but Asami's intention quickly became clear once she started descending down the inside of her thigh. Ever since she had seen that mover in the Fire Nation a certain image had been seared into her brain. A woman with legs spread and a man's mouth at the center as he licked away and now Korra found herself in a similar position but this wasn't a dream anymore, Asami was really here in the flesh. Each kiss was further down than the one before and it felt like those lips were growing hotter as they drew closer to the middle of her legs. Then Asami's mouth finally reached it's destination and that heat spread out through her entire body. Korra quietly gasped as Asami's fingers gently spread Korra's folds giving her tongue complete access to the inside. Korra had suspected that this had been bound to happen sooner or later and she had tried to imagine what this would feel like but none of her daydreams had even come close to the real thing. Asami's tongue was slow and deliberate as it moved from top to bottom or side to side over and over in broad flat strokes. Bit by bit the pressure began to build up and Korra closed her eyes as she felt herself approaching the edge but just before she got there that wonderful tongue vanished. "Wh- why did you stop?" she complained.

Asami gave a not at all apologetic grin and squeezed one of Korra's knees. "Oh I'm not letting you come just yet." She turned away back towards that bag she had brought with her and pulled out two toys and some lubricant. The first toy was a cone with a rounded tip and flared base but it was also connected to what looked like some kind of remote by a cord. The second one was the more ominous looking of the two however, a mess of straps with a silvery length of silicone dangling off them in the middle.

Korra felt a wave of sudden unease passing over her at the sight of the unfamiliar silver toy "What is that thing for?"

"This? It's just a strap-on. For vaginal sex." Asami must have seen that Korra was still confused and she put her fingers against her mouth as if holding back a laugh. "You don't know what I'm talking about do you?"

"Not really no." admitted Korra. "I never learned anything about sex when I was growing up. My mother said she was going to teach me but not until I turned eighteen. But I ran away before then so that never happened."

"Well consider this part of your education then." Asami took the strap-on and laid the silicone portion on top of Korra's pelvis so she could see how it lined up and get an idea of how far it would go into her. "The straps are for me so I can wear it but this part here goes in your vagina. I don't have the same parts as a man obviously but this lets women simulate penetration. But I'm guessing you've never done this so I don't know if you'll like it or not. If you don't want to do it then we can skip it and just play with the vibrator here."

"No go ahead. I won't know unless we try it." said Korra.

Asami leaned down and placed her hand on Korra's cheek as she kissed her on the lips. "All right pet." It had been some time since she had worn a strap-on but cinching the straps into place was still a trivial matter for her. It wasn't until she picked up the plug that Asami realized what was missing. "Crap I forgot to grab a towel." Asami muttered. "I'll be back in a second, don't go anywhere." Korra rolled her eyes as Asami headed into her bathroom before coming back with the towel which she positioned underneath Korra's rear. "Okay I need you to stay relaxed this time when I put this plug in. If you tense up then it's more likely something will go wrong." Korra nodded and took a deep breath as she closed her eyes. She had already done this once before and there wasn't anything to worry about, at least that's what she was telling herself. There was a bit of rustling from the bed sheets and then she felt Asami's fingers rubbing against her as they applied lube to where that plug was going. A few seconds later and Korra shuddered as the plug itself pushed against and then slid into her with what hardly seemed like any effort. "Well that was easier than last time. Great job pet."

The Avatar started to reply but stopped short when she felt the tip of Asami's strap-on pressing against her other entrance. It stayed still for a moment and than Asami was easing it inside of her. Korra gasped and her hands pulled against the ropes as her vagina was penetrated for the first time. In a way it felt like her muscles were resisting the intruder but Korra wasn't doing anything, or wanted, to slow it down as it filled a void she hadn't known was there until now. Asami stopped there to check in before going any further. "How are you doing pet?"

Korra lifted her head to look down at her nether regions and smiled at the sight of seeing their pelvis's so close together. There was a question on her mind however. "Was that it or is there more to this?" She asked.

Asami laughed and shook her head. "You're about to find out." She picked up the remote attached to the other end of the cord and rotated the dial on it with her thumb. Korra's eyes opened wider and her hips bucked involuntarily as the plug began oscillating. Asami giggled at the instantaneous reaction and moved the vibrator up to the next level. The Avatar moaned and her legs quivered as the vibrator's buzz grew louder. She was tempted to push it higher but Korra had closed her eyes again and was clearly enjoying herself if that small smile was any indication. Asami pulled the strap-on all the way out before pushing it back in prompting Korra to groan once more. That sound was the signal she had been hoping for and Asami leaned forward bracing her arms next to Korra's sides. Her hips lifted into the air before rocking forward as far as they could. Each subsequent thrust was a little faster than the one before it until Asami's hips were audibly thumping against Korra each time.

It had barely been more than a couple of weeks since Korra had first asked Asami to sleep with her in the Fire Nation and yet here she was. Wrists tied to ankles, her bending blocked, a vibrator in one hole and her newfound mistress pounding away with a toy made of silicone in the other and she had never been so acutely aware of every nerve ending in her body before as she was now. Each pulse and thrust was making her twitch or moan and Korra's toes curled tightly as they combined to push her past the edge Asami had denied her earlier. Her body quivered and her legs futilely kicked against the ropes holding her.

Once it had passed Asami started to undo the ropes before even withdrawing the strap-on. "I think that's a good place to stop. Give me a minute to undo all this then I can give your bending back." As soon as Korra's hands were free Asami rotated each wrist to check for any burns from the ropes that might have occurred. She pulled the strap-on out and spun her finger in a circle. "Roll over please."

Korra spun her body around so that she was lying face down on her stomach and waited. Asami's knuckles pressed down on her spine in the same spots she had used to take the Avatar's bending earlier. Korra lifted one hand and a small flame danced above it for a second before she snapped her fingers closed. Seconds later and the plug in her other hole was being pulled out and Korra murmured as it stretched her while exiting. Asami hopped off the bed, toys in hand as she headed towards the bathroom. "After you use the toilet come back here all right?"

Korra turned her head to look at Asami, not understanding the request. "Why? I don't have to pee right now."

Asami frowned at the Avatar. "Because you'll get an infection if you don't. You should always go to the bathroom after sex. I'd prefer not to but I'll make it one of our rules if I have to."

"Okay, okay, I'm going, I'm going."

Afterwards Asami bundled Korra up in the same blanket as their last time and pulled the Avatar's backside against her front. Korra squirmed for a moment to get comfortable before asking a question that had been preying on her mind. "I know I'm still new to this bondage stuff but it's pretty clear you know what you're doing. How did you get into this if you don't mind my asking?"

Asami wrapped her arms around Korra's waist as she thought back for a moment. "Do you remember that time when we followed Aiwei to the Misty Palms Oasis?"

"Yeah, we were trying to track down Zaheer so we were doing that stakeout with Mako and Bolin. I remember you playing a bunch of pai sho with Bolin."

"Right. Well I'm sure you remember what happened next. Ming Hua and Ghazan showed up and I tried to run away with your body while your mind was in the Spirit World... that sounds really weird when I say it out loud. Anyways I didn't get very far before I was ambushed by the Earth Queen's forces. They didn't think I was a threat so they just handcuffed me but you? They went all out on you." A small smile played over her lips as she remembered what had happened. "Straight jacket, cuffs, a bunch of belts holding you in place, not to mention that muzzle gag. It was a weird moment for me, important but weird. I was afraid because we had been just taken prisoner and I didn't know what was going to happen to us. But I had never been so turned on in my entire life up to that point. The way they had trussed you up... it was the sexiest thing I had ever seen. As for the rest of it, after you left for the South Pole I felt like something was missing from my life and bondage is one of the ways I tried to fill it. I learned a lot but I was never _actually_ happy now that I'm looking back. The thing that really got me into it was the idea of doing this with you." She planted a kiss on the top of Korra's head. "And now we are. Does that answer your question?"

Korra turned to smile at Asami. "Yes, yes it does."


	16. Lessons

The panic room in the Sato estate hadn't always been there. If Hiroshi had possessed the foresight to include it then the event that led to its creation might never have occurred. But the Triad's invasion of his home had taken place and Hiroshi's grief over his wife led him to have the room specially constructed to repel every form of bending. Multiple layers of platinum, water repellent materials and insulation were all sandwiched together to form the walls of the room. Plus it was fully prepped for the possibility that a stay in the room lasting days with things like emergency food rations, water sealed in plastic barrels, bed cots and even a portable toilet all ready and waiting. The last thing of note were hand held radios allowing them to contact members of the staff from inside the panic room if necessary. It was all excessive and over the top but still didn't come close to the extremes the murder of his wife had driven him to in his last years of life.

His paranoia had been unwarranted in the years to come as there had never been a need for this room, at least not until now. Prince Wu would have been safer in the panic room during his time hiding on the estate and if it had been up to Asami then she would have shoved Wu in there just to get him out of the way. Unfortunately for her Mako's grandmother had made that impossible and had insisted her family would protect him while he stayed there. Chou, on the other hand, had no one around to guard him in a similar manner and he had actually demanded to stay in the panic room upon seeing it. If it had been up to Asami then that would have been enough of a precaution but General Iroh had insisted that one of them be in there with him at all times until the Spirit Energy convention that was to take place. Asami had been reluctant due to the complications it would put on the work she was doing at Future Industries but she had eventually conceded the matter. The three of them would have to deal with the change to their sleep schedules but they had all been through worse ordeals and this was only a temporary measure.

The biggest question Korra had on the matter was what she could do to pass the time until Chou's moment in the spotlight. Taking Naga out for some runs would have been ideal but leaving the mansion was out of the question. If something happened then she needed to be close by to help out which meant she was stuck here in the mansion. Asami had already provided her part of a possible solution in the book that Katara had written but it wasn't until past the halfway point of Iroh's first shift that she had the rest.

"What is this?" asked Korra. She had been dragged out to the garage to find a large wooden shipping crate waiting for her. Asami wedged the narrow end of a crowbar into the box as she levered the top open. Inside was a life sized mannequin covered all over with narrow grooves running from head to toe. Korra's eyes widened and she turned to wrap her arms around Asami in a bear hug. "First Katara's book and now a healing dummy. You're starting to spoil me Asami."

"Well if you're going to start practice healing again then I'm not going to sit by and let you use second rate materials." She lightly kissed Korra on the lips while squeezing the Avatar's shapely bottom with one hand. "Only the best for you from now on."

Korra kissed Asami back for a moment, a broad smile on her face. "Thank you, really." She turned her head to look at the mannequin again. "Where am I going to put this though? It needs to be somewhere where there's clean water that I can use."

"You could take it down to the pool for now Korra. It's chlorinated though, is that an issue for you?"

She frowned and wrinkled her nose at the word Asami had just used. "Chlor-what? Does that mean the water has chlorine in it? Healing doesn't work as well if there's stuff in the water."

Asami brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear as she considered the problem. "If the pool doesn't work then you could always get water from the women's shower. I'll ask one of the staff to bring you a bucket or two until I figure out a better solution okay?"

It wasn't the ideal setup for learning to heal but Korra wasn't going to complain. She may have been born and raised in the South Pole but that hadn't made her immune to the bitter cold and fierce storms common to the region. Instead she was lying on a cushy chair next to the pool in Asami's air conditioned mansion with Katara's healing manual in hand. The thing that wasn't ideal however was this book. Korra had been excited to see what kind of techniques Katara was passing on but her initial skim through hadn't turned up any sort of images depicting how a move was performed. She frowned to herself as she flipped back to the beginning, what kind of book was this exactly? What sort of instructional manual didn't include any techniques for people to learn? But this was written by Katara, the best healer in the world, and she had specifically sent this for Korra to read after Asami had spoken to her so there must be something here even if she didn't see it yet. Once she reached the first page a small piece of paper fell out from between the pages into her lap. Korra picked it up and unfolded the note to see a message written on it.

 _'Dear Korra, it's exciting to hear that you're taking an interest in learning healing. I remember how frustrating the subject was for you when you were younger and how eager you were to get through it and move onto the next element. I'm afraid that I can't teach you as much as you think I can however. You might not have realized it but I taught you as much as I was able and that your education was as thorough as that of my other students or any of the healers in Republic City. That's not to say you can't grow but the best healers are born, not taught. I hope my manual helps you in some fashion though and I wish you the best._

 _-Katara.'_

There may not have been any techniques in the novel but it wasn't entirely uninformative. The opening pages focused heavily on the importance of chi as it applied to healing. The human body and it's chi were interconnected and what affected one affected the other. Physical injuries served to hinder the flow of chi within a person and could cause different ailments depending on the location and severity of said injury. Ultimately healing was the act of using waterbending to restore the flow of chi within a person and accelerate the body's returning to its natural state. The mark of a skilled healer was being able to determine how a person's chi was disrupted and their ability to manipulate what they saw happening. It was the first lesson Korra had learned from Katara as a child but now that she was reading it as an adult it made sense in a way that it never had before. There was no secret to healing or some trick that made Katara the world's best healer. She wasn't the best because of some arcane knowledge, she was the best because she could see what others didn't. After the beginning Katara's writing transitioned into talking about her history as a healer, the injuries she encountered and how she had figured out what was wrong and how best to heal them.

"There's nothing wrong with reading but I have to admit that I never pictured you as someone who would spend their spare time getting sucked into a book."

The Avatar almost jumped out of her skin as Iroh's comment snapped her out of her reverie. She glanced at him before looking at the clock on the wall. Two hours had passed since she had started reading and Korra hadn't noticed because the book was too engrossing. "What? You think I don't read books? I read books all the time!"

That actually wasn't true. Korra really didn't spend much time reading, the real world was more interesting than words on paper but Iroh's comment had put her on the defensive. If Iroh had detected her lie he gave no indication of it. "I was actually wondering if you'd care to work out with me. Usually I train with some of the other officers on base but that isn't possible with this Chou business. Plus I've always been curious to see how good of a martial artist you are."

Korra glanced down at her book to see what page number she was on before setting it down. "Why not, one of the gyms is through that door there. You mind holding a pad for me while I warm up?"

The pad in question were fairly simple, a chest sized block of foam with straps on the back for holding. Korra exhaled before she started repeating a quick combo without any power behind it. Jab, cross, hook then the same combo again but starting with the other hand. The next hit came from below as Korra slammed her shin against the pad driving Iroh back a step. "So I had an interesting conversation with Asami today." Iroh stood his ground this time but the sound of Korra's kick blasted through the room. "She told me that you were planning to 'secure an alliance' in your words after you retired but what that really means is that you're looking for a political marriage. And now I just can't help but remember that you were hitting on me at that restaurant. Anything you feel like telling me!?" She kicked the pad again and Iroh winced at the force behind this latest strike.

Iroh lowered the pad as he took a few steps back to make sure she couldn't reach him with her kicks anymore."I know what it looks like but that was the whole point."

The Avatar frowned and she scratched at her head for a second, confused at what he meant by that. "What?"

"Appearance is everything to my people. It's hard to explain so you'll have to trust me on that." Iroh turned a bit to look out the westward facing window. "I've been a member of the United Forces for a long time and my trips back home have been few and far in-between. I'm still the Crown Prince but my people don't know the person I've become. What they remember is a haughty prince who liked to party far too much and frequently got into trouble. If I'm going to convince them that I'm not that person anymore then I have to show them that I'm willing to do what it takes to be a good ruler. Part of that is finding someone worthy of sitting beside me on the throne. I knew you wouldn't be interested in me but I had to be seen making the attempt anyways."

"So you're saying we only had dinner to make people think you were courting me? You're not actually interested in me?" asked Korra.

"That's the gist of it yes. I know the age gap between us is... significant but the political advantages of a hypothetical marriage to you outweigh that. You're the Avatar, your father is the leader of the Southern Water Tribe, your cousins rule the Northern Tribe and you have the likes of Master Tenzin and the Beifong family among your allies. I'll say it again, I know nothing will ever happen between us and we both know it but I had to be seen making the attempt."

Holding onto her anger and continuing to pummel that pad and indirectly Iroh would be so much more satisfying but she had to, albeit reluctantly, admit that his reasoning made sense in a way. "I suppose I can understand that you were just trying to do your duty but don't drag me into your whole marriage alliance stuff again got it?"

Iroh dropped the pad and bowed at the waist towards her. "As you command Avatar Korra."

Korra glanced at the pad that Iroh had dropped. "I guess that means we're done warming up. Feel like sparring?"

The man looked down at the pad, at his hand then back at her. "Uhhh, if that's how hard you kick during a warm up then I think I'll pass on unarmed combat. Though if you're interested we could try something you aren't as familiar with."

"Such as?" asked Korra.

Iroh headed for the side of the room and picked up a long and slender bundle of leather from the floor. "I never had any part in deciding what combat arts you be taught but my grandfather did. We've talked about it from time to time and one of his grievances is that you never had any sorts of weapons training. The timing isn't the best but I thought I'd see if you might be interested in a few lessons with these." He undid the loose knot on the outside and opened it up to reveal two pairs of swords in it. "Zuko was well known for his skill with the broadsword and he passed some of it onto me before I joined the United Forces." He turned the bundle in his hands to hold the hilts out towards Korra. "What do you say?"

Korra tentatively picked up one of the swords then another as she held the first one straight up in the air in front of her face. They were made out of wood but it was heavier than she would have expected. "So Zuko wanted to teach me how to use these? Why? I mean I get that he would want me to know something other than bending but I had plenty of hand to hand training. Why would he be annoyed that I never learned how to use a broadsword?"

"Oh it wasn't about the broadsword, it was that you had some kind, any kind of weapons training. Sword, staff, batons, knives, just something for the sake of being well rounded. Your bending is powerful and you certainly kick hard enough but sometimes you need to be able to rely on something else."

She lowered the blade to point at the ground while returning her gaze to Iroh. "I'll play along with this while you're here since it's something to do but I can't say I'm all that interested in swordsmanship. Question before we get started though, what's in these? They feel heavier than they should for some reason."

Iroh set the leather blanket down before answering. "These are practice swords. The outside is made of wood for safety but the inner core is metal so they weigh the same as a real sword. We still need to wear some protective gear however but there seems to be a fair amount of that in here." Most of the gear that Asami had been manufactured with pro-bending in mind but a padded jacket or helmet was pretty universal when it came to softening blows. Once they were both suited up Iroh grabbed his pair of swords and moved to the center of the room. He bent his knees and held the broadswords up in front of him. "This is the most basic stance used for this style, all of the forms can be traced back to this position." Iroh waited until she imitated his stance before continuing with his monologue. "The hardest thing a beginner encounters is the fact that's there's two swords. If you only have one sword then you can just use your stronger hand but since there's two you have to train your off-hand or it'll hold you back. As for this lesson I want you to get used to swinging these around so just try to hit me for now. If you can." Korra scowled at the jab tossed in at the end there and she moved forward as her swords began swinging through the air.

At the end of it sweat was dripping into her eyes and Korra's hands were resting on her hips as her chest heaved up and down. Iroh's confidence in his swordsmanship was justified as far as she could tell anyways. She hadn't come close to hitting him a single time and Korra would have been killed multiple times if the weapons hadn't been made out of wood. It was something of a sobering realization for the Avatar. She might have mastered the four elements and was skilled at hand to hand but there were still areas of combat that she was a novice at. Iroh collected the swords from the floor and was putting them away as he spoke. "That was a good first session. I do have some tips for you though."

Before he could start elaborating on them Asami's butler burst into the room, a look of utter panic on his face. "Avatar Korra! Something's wrong. I was just on my way to the kitchen when I found one of the maids lying on the floor. She was awake but couldn't move or talk and this was sticking out of her back." He held up a feathered dart for the two of them to look at.

Iroh grabbed it away and sniffed at it tentatively. "Shirshu toxin... Chou."

Korra's fatigue vanished in an instant as she realized what was going on. "Let's go!"

Normally the staff could be seen throughout the mansion as they performed their daily tasks but not this time. The halls were empty and the air felt unusually still as if the building itself was holding its breath. Korra saw a nearby door was just barely ajar and she stopped to open it. Inside was a woman lying on the ground, the sheets from Asami's bed next to her. In addition there was another dart identical to the one that the butler had shown them in her arm. Iroh pulled on her shoulder and pointed towards the safe room. "You can deal with the servants later. Chou is in danger right now."

The two of them started sprinting down the hallway again and they skidded around the corner to where Chou was hidden away. A small group dressed in black clothing and masks was standing outside the door while one of them was cutting away at the metal door with a plasma cutting torch. There was a brief moment of them staring at each other and then bursts of flames were flying from both sides as the fight began. Korra and Iroh stood their ground at first but the barrage of fire was non stop and soon the two of them were forced on the defensive and they were beginning to lose ground. And while they were fighting the man with the torch kept cutting away as he sought to gain entry to murder the man hiding within. Korra growled under her breath and her eyes turned white before fading and the fight turned as she unleashed a gale of wind at the firebenders invading Asami's home.

One of the intruders made a fist with his hand and the entire group began backing up and fled down the hall, splitting up as they did so. Korra started to pursue them but Iroh grabbed her shoulder again holding her back as he pointed at the wall. Several small gray oblongs decorated the walls and door to the panic room itself. Korra yanked them free with her airbending and hurled them down the hall as red lights began to appear. Iroh dropped to the ground, hands on his head, behind her while Korra formed a wall of air separating them from the presents they had been left. There was no ball of fire like the last time firebenders had tried to kill her with explosives. Just a blinding burst of light midst a shower of flying shrapnel and then there was a very large hole where the walls and ceiling had been.

Iroh was quick to get to his feet and he was inspecting the damage that had been done to the door. "I think we were lucky. They must not have been here for very long before we showed up, they only got partway through the first hinge."

"Tell that to the staff who got in their way. Do you have your radio on you?" asked Korra.

"Yeah, I picked it up as were leaving the gym." Iroh flicked it on and Asami's voice came through instantly.

"What was that!?"

"Some firebenders tried breaking in to get Chou but we drove them off." Korra cringed at the next bit she had to relay to Asami. "They had some bombs with them so now there's kinda some walls missing down the hall... and it looks like they paralyzed a bunch of the staff with shirshu toxin."

Nothing but silence came through at first as Asami was no doubt processing what had just happened in her home. "Great... I'll stay in here with Chou. I know you need to get some sleep but do you mind watching the door until we're sure they're gone Iroh? And can you take care of my staff for me Korra? I don't know if you can heal them or not but there'll be antidotes for that toxin in the city. If any of the staff weren't effected then you can send them to get it while you search the mansion."

Checking the entirety of the mansion for any firebenders who might still be lurking about was tedious but necessary. Searching this mansion felt like it took hours as she scoured the place room by room and floor by floor. Eventually she came to the last place that needed to be checked before she was confident that the estate was clear, Asami's bedroom.

She pushed the door open and slowly stepped inside, her head swiveling from one direction to another as she looked about for anyone that shouldn't be there. The bedroom was empty as was the bathroom attached to it. It wasn't until she exited the bathroom when she realized something. There wasn't anyone here who shouldn't have been but something that should have been there was missing.

The camera that Asami had taped to the ceiling of her bed frame was gone. The tape holding it in place had been cut, by a sharp knife by the looks of it. Everything Asami had recorded herself doing to Korra was gone, stolen. But something had been left behind in return for the camera, a mask lying face down in the middle of the bed itself. Korra reached out to turn it over with trembling fingers and once again she found herself staring at the unchanging visage of Amon.

"Crap."


	17. The Convention

Content Warning: Character Death.

* * *

"So you worked for Varrick on spirit energy, what exactly did you do?" asked Asami.

Her first shift guarding Chou had just begun and now he was locked in the panic room with her. Having nowhere to go meant there wasn't any way to get away from her questions and Chou clearly knew that. He shook his head, an alarmed expression on his face. "I know who you are Miss Sato and if you think I'm going to give you information on spirit energy then you're sadly mistaken."

Asami shook her head and moved to sit down on one of the cots so she was looking up at him. "I understand Chou, I honestly do and as a matter of fact I agree with you. I'm not asking for technical details but I need to know what you gave to the Fire Nation. I know they're trying to make weapons and what they'll do once they have them but I have no idea of _when_ they'll figure it out. If you tell me what you did for Varrick then I can guess at how long it'll take before their weapons are working."

Chou raised one of his eyebrows as he looked at her. "So you say but how do I know you aren't trying to trick me? Spirit energy tech would be massively profitable to a company like Republic Industries. And it's just a coincidence that I ended up being locked in a panic room on your estate?"

"If you know who I am then you must be familiar with my father. How could you think I'd possibly be after spirit energy after what happened to him?" she asked incredulously,

Her so-called guest looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean? He was locked up after the Equalist revolt..."

Tears started to well up at the corners of her eyes as she saw that giant metal hand descending in her minds eye once again. "When Kuvira attacked the city Lin Beifong got him out of prison to help us fight her off. I don't want to talk about it but he was killed in the battle. I'm **not** after spirit energy, but if the Fire Nation gets their hands on it then a lot more people are going to die."

Chou immediately looked away from her when he heard that her father had been killed. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. The people I was working for kept me isolated in the facility. I didn't have any idea what was happening in the outside world. For what it's worth Hiroshi Sato was one of my heroes when I was growing up."

"My father was one of your heroes? Why?"

The witness sat down on the cot facing her and glanced up at the ceiling. "I grew up in a small village. My family were farmers who raised moo-sows and wooly pigs. I hated it and I wanted to get out, make something of myself in the city like your father did. He was born in a poor area but became one of the richest men in the city. I know I'll never succeed like he did now but the things he did drove me to be the first person in my family to graduate from college. And now he's gone, my condolences to you Miss Sato."

His gaze returned to her after a minute however. "I'm not an engineering, I'm just a technician. I don't really understand Varrick's theories but I know enough to build components for him. There was a group of us that worked together to build the equipment that they used. I was the one who manufactured the power cells used to contain the vines. That's all they have, they don't know how to get the energy out of the vines yet. There is one thing you should let the Avatar know however. The vines are extremely volatile and will explode if exposed to too much electrical current."

After that Chou had clammed up about his past work and wouldn't say anything more on the subject no matter how carefully Asami tried to pry information out of him. Her efforts came to an end when Korra told her of the firebenders who had attacked her home. Once her shift was over Asami immediately headed towards where the bombs had gone off. The hallway had been ripped asunder, pieces of the wall and ceiling flying out in all directions including covering the seared carpet in heaps of wooden splinters.

She picked up a piece of debris up off the floor and stared at it. Firebenders had come into her home with ill intent, to do murder. They had been driven off but this wasn't the first time that this had happened. A similar event had taken place years ago resulting in the death of her mother. Asami had never been able to understand what had twisted her father, what had made him do all those terrible things. Until now. No one had died this time but now she had some inkling of the terrible rage and grief he must have felt all those years ago. This was her _home_ , the place she should feel safest and these firebenders had violated it, in more ways than one. Wood and glass could be replaced but now those movers were out there somewhere and and it would only be a matter of time before that would come to haunt her in some form or another.

Her butler approached from behind as she stared at the damage done by the bombs. "Shall I call the construction company Miss Sato? They're likely busy in the city but an offer of some extra yuans would suffice to get them to send a crew here for repairs."

Asami jumped when his voice popped up next to her. "We'll have to eventually but I don't want strangers around while Chou is here. Once he's gone we'll have this fixed. Until then cover this up with tarps and bring some heaters to deal with the cold air coming in at nights. I'll also ask Korra to have Naga stay here to help guard this area."

The days from then passed by slowly as the convention drew closer. Asami had her work to occupy her but this rotating schedule made it difficult to find times to speak with the engineers at Republic Industries. She was able to work in the occasional phone call but most of their communication was through messages couriered back and forth, an inelegant and expensive solution at best. Iroh probably had the easiest time of it as his swordsmanship lessons were an excellent way to relax, at least it was for him. Korra, on the other hand, was usually a sweaty mess as she struggled just to keep herself from 'dying' over and over in their sparring sessions.

The rest of the Avatar's time was spent studying Katara's novel or practicing on the healing mannequin Asami had procured for her. The first half of the book focused on Katara's history as a healer and the things she had dealt with from the first time she ever healed, an incident with Aang when he was learning firebending, to the years Korra was there after what Zaheer had done to her. Katara hadn't mentioned her by name but Korra easily recognized herself in the elderly waterbender's printed account. Once she got to the second half of the book Katara had shifted from recounting the past to recreating them, on a mannequin anyways. The premise was obvious, reproduce a problem and then solve it. Ideally Korra would have had someone else who could set up the problems but she was the only waterbender in the mansion. It wasn't exactly cheating but she still felt a bit guilty at doing it all herself but ultimately the goal was to learn how to fix these problems. Setting them up was still instructive in of itself since it let her see these scenarios from another angle before she set about undoing them.

Eventually though the appointed day arrived and the four of them hopped into one of Asami's vehicles as they got underway. The threat of another attack had been looming over their heads but nothing had happened. If there was going to be another attempt on Chou's life then coming after him while he was in the car was the best and last opportunity before he could testify at the convention. Korra kept her attention fixed on the window as she watched for any signs that another threat was imminent. The only signs she saw however were ones left over by Kuvira's attack on the city. The homeless. Everywhere she looked there were people who had been displaced by the fighting. Down alleyways, under bridges, hiding beneath bushes in the parks. And these were just the ones she could see, there had to be even more hiding inside of buildings or down in the tunnels beneath Republic City itself. Anywhere they could find food or a place to hide from the rain pouring down today. Raiko had construction crews working day and night but it would be months at the least and likely years before they could replace everything that had been lost.

Their destination, on the other hand, bore no scars of what had happened. Asami had turned around a corner and suddenly everything had changed. There were no refugees here, no ruined structures that could be seen, the streets were clean and all the buildings looked as if they had risen with the sun that very morning. Police vehicles and what could only be private security forces were nearly standing on every corner and even a few rooftops in the area.

The whole purpose of this meeting was to negotiate and sign an international treaty formally banning all development and use of Spirit Energy. As such this gathering was being attended by leaders from all over the Four Nations. It wasn't limited to just them however. Spirit energy might be the headline but the true appeal of this event was all the people in attendance. There was well over two hundred, possibly three, people here. High ranking nobles, wealthy business owners and politicians from every nation and city-state filled the room. The business deals and arrangements resulting from this get-together would shape local and international economies in the years or even decades that followed. And those same people would remember that a certain president of the United Republic had been responsible for providing the means for said deals and arrangements to happen. At least that's what Asami had explained to Korra as they had approached the venue.

Korra frowned as she skirted around the edge of the crowd full of people sipping champagne as they rubbed shoulders. "Am I going crazy or is that Viper over there Asami?"

Asami turned her head to see what Korra was referring to and she stumbled at the sight of the mobster standing there. If Asami had been making a list of who to invite to this event then the leader of the Triple Threat Triad would be somewhere in the realm of 'arrest on sight'. But there he was, a slender glass in hand while he chatted up what looked like some sort of noble from the Fire Nation. "I don't think you're the one going crazy Korra. I can't imagine why or how someone would invite that man to this." She glanced off to the side then shook her head while holding back a laugh. "But I don't think we're the only ones to not like it."

Either Viper hadn't noticed or he was pretending not to but Lin Beifong was standing just a few feet away, her arms folded as she glowered at the crime boss. No doubt Lin would like nothing more than to slap that grin off his face before hauling him off to jail and the fact that she couldn't was almost certainly eating away at the police chief.

Iroh's eyebrows drew together when he noticed what they were talking about but he was looking at the woman. His gaze lingered for a moment before he turned his attention to Asami. "I think this is where we split up now. Your invitation means you can watch the events from the audience but Korra and I will be up on the dais. Come find us when you get the opportunity."

The dais in question was a platform at the head of the room elevated a meter above the floor. There was a podium at its edge and a square table behind that for the major players here today. Korra was seated at one end of the table and Raiko's chair was on the other. In-between them were the representatives for the other nations. Fire Lord Izumi was seated next to Tenzin and past them was her father Tonraq, then her cousins Desna and Eska. The last seat was taken by Suyin Beifong, who had been chosen by the city-states of the Earth Kingdom to stand for them. As she waited for the proceedings to start, Iroh's words about her friends were bouncing around in her head. Raiko had never been much of an ally to her and neither had Izumi, but everyone else at this table had fought on her side in some form or another. Though to be fair Desna and Eska had fought against her as well before turning on their father Unalaq.

Raiko waited until the audience had seated themselves before he stepped up to the podium and turned the microphone on. "Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to express my gratitude to all of you for being here. I hope you've been enjoying your stay in our fine city thus far and that we can come to a consensus on the issues that bring us together on this beautiful day."

Korra had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes as she looked at the water-drop be-peckled windows lining the walls. 'A consensus on the issues' indeed. She had little love for the president but Korra had to admit that Raiko was in his element here. An audience listening to him deliver a speech but that's all he was good for. Talking. She should be in the Fire Nation looking for and then destroying the spirit energy lab but instead she was stuck behind this table listening to the president say nothing in so many words.

"... which brings me to my main point and the most important issue facing us today. Spirit Energy. I know many of the people here saw Kuvira's attack firsthand but many of you were far away." He gestured with one hand towards a blank section of wall. "If you'll be so kind as to turn your attention over here."

After a few seconds an image of Kuvira's giant robot appeared on the screen. It disappeared only to be replaced with a second, the robot firing it's cannon. A third image showing fiery explosions in the distance. Ruined buildings. Piles of rubble, dead bodies in the street. The images kept on coming, one after the other until Raiko lifted his hand again. "Spirit Energy. War has been a part of our history for as long as there have been people to write it down but now we find ourselves on new ground. Never before has there been a weapon capable of the destruction that Spirit Energy can unleash. We have opened the door to something that can and will annihilate us all if left unchecked. We avoided the abyss this time thanks to the Avatar but it falls upon the rest of us to ensure that such an incident will not be repeated. With that said I turn the floor over to our next speaker, Iknik Blackstone Varrick."

Varrick, Zhu Li, a few cherry-picked individuals whose lives had been turned upside because of Kuvira. The stories of the survivors were all similar sounding tales of woe but Varrick's was more of a rant against the misuse of what he had created. Zhu Li's speech urging the people to support a ban was as methodical as the woman giving it. And then the last speaker of the day was approaching the stand without any introduction from the person before him.

He set a glass of water down on the podium as he looked out over the crowd. World leaders behind him and a gathering of the world's richest and most powerful people in front of him. The man picked the glass up and took another drink before starting to speak. "Hello, I'm sure most of you have no idea who I am so let me introduce myself. My name is Chou."

Chou coughed into the crook of his elbow before continuing. "I have a degree in electrical engineering technology but I'm not an engineer, just a technologist. I used to work for Cabbage Corp but I was hired by Varrick to work on a research project he had just begun. Spirit energy. At the time, our goal was to find a new source of energy. It wasn't until Kuvira took an interest in the project that the technology became a weapon. Once I realized what Kuvira was doing I took my notes and ran. I don't know how they found me but I was offered sanctuary in the Fire Nation in exchange for something. My notes."

People in the crowd had been quietly chatting to each other but a deathly hush fell over them. The sound of Chou coughing was the only sound in the room for several painfully long seconds. "At first I said no but they convinced me that they only wanted Spirit Energy for use as a power source. So I agreed but they lied. After a month I found designs for weapons that -.''

Whatever he had meant to end that sentence with was drowned out as the crowd erupted in a roar that echoed off the walls. Izumi's face didn't change in the slightest but there wasn't any way she didn't hear the venom being hurled at her and the other members of the Fire Nation in the audience. Desna and Eska exchanged a glance and the twins were rising from their chairs as they headed towards the nearest exit. Raiko rushed towards the podium, pushing Chou out of the way as he started speaking into the mic but his words couldn't be heard over the din from the crowd.

Chou started to head towards the door Desna and Eska had left through but he collapsed in a heap halfway there. Korra jumped from her chair and over the table as she rushed to his side as he violently convulsed once on the floor before going still. She grabbed him by the shoulder rolling him onto his back. Chou's lips were flecked with blood and spittle and his eyes were bloodshot. Korra pressed her fingers into the side of his neck but there wasn't any pulse, the man was already dead.

The Avatar's head lifted as she stared out towards the crowd. People had started throwing punches and the event's security was moving to break the ruckus up before anyone started bending at each other. But there was one person who didn't seem to have noticed what was happening. Viper met her gaze head on and he smirked before turning and slipping out the doorway. Korra let Chou's head back down to the ground before she was on her feet chasing after him.

There should have been security at the doors but the chaos inside had drawn them away from their posts and the front of the building was empty. Korra's head swiveled about as she looked for the mob boss but there wasn't anything or anyone on the street. She turned intending to head back inside when there he was, standing at the edge of the building with his hands in the pockets of his trench coat. The moment their eyes connected Viper turned and walked into the alleyway behind him.

By the time Korra sprinted around the corner Viper was waiting by a pair of cars and half a dozen members of his Triad were flanking him. He flourished his arm in a mock bow as she slowed to a halt. "Always a pleasure to see you Avatar Korra. I still remember meeting ya on your first day in Republic City."

"What do you want Viper? If you had anything to do with Chou's murder then you're going to pay." Korra raised her hands up to chest level as she prepared for a brawl like the one that had gotten her arrested by Lin's metalbending police unit.

"I ain't here to cause any trouble Avatar. I'm actually bringing you a gift, the one who poisoned that schmuck's water. What ya do with him is your problem. Boys." Viper ducked into his car and shut the door. At the same time two of his goons popped the trunk open and pulled someone out. They unceremoniously dumped the hogtied man on the ground before departing the scene.

Korra stepped forward and rolled the figure over to look at his face. She had only met him once but there was no mistaking this particular person. His nation may have subjected him to a particularly brutal form of exile but the man's name popped instantly into her head as he grinned too widely at her, as if unaware or uncaring of his predicament. "My employer says hello."

Ifuago.


	18. The Enemy

Authors Note: There's no rape scenes in this story but people bothered by non-con related dialogue may have difficulty reading this chapter and there's a bit of graphic violence ahead so readers be warned.

* * *

"Where is he!? Korra was irritably pacing back and forth as she waited for the last arrival to their impromptu meeting.

"He'll be here Korra. We just have to wait a little longer." said Asami.

The two of them were waiting in one of the convention center's side rooms meant for smaller meetings and gatherings. Ifuago had been hauled off to prison by the police and was probably being interrogated by Lin Beifong at this moment. It was possible but unlikely that he knew anything about who had hired him and it was even more unlikely that Ifuago would be willing to talk.

The door creaked open and Iroh entered the room. Korra stopped pacing as she fixed the man with a baleful glare. "Took you long enough, I was starting to think that a war would have started before you got here." A scowl worthy of a Beifong creased the Avatar's face as she chastised the general or prince or whatever he was to her now.

"I know things look bad but it won't -.''

Korra cut him off mid-sentence, flinging her arm to point at the door he had come in through, as she started yelling. "How many people did you see out there!? It's empty! Everyone left and do you know where they are right now? On phones telling their generals to start gathering their forces. How long do you think we have until armies start showing up on Fire Nation shores? Two weeks? A month?"

The Avatar's hands balled into fists as the anger that had been begun stewing deep down inside her ever since visiting Iroh's homeland burst free. "Didn't they learn anything from the Hundred-Year War? They tore the world apart and for what? Power? Money? Land? Now here we are, doing the same crap all over again!"

Iroh raised his hand trying to interject but Korra grabbed him by the lapels and slammed him against the wall. "This is your people's fault! Not to mention they've repeatedly tried to kill me, they almost blew Asami up and the man we were supposed to protect is dead because of them! And what about you? You and your mother have been using Asami and I this entire time!"

She twisted to one side hurling him to the floor. He started to sit up but Korra shoved him back down to the floor with a boot to the chest. "Izumi once told me I had absolute authority in the Fire Nation and now I'm using it. We're going back to the Fire Nation and you're going to do whatever it takes to get me to this lab so I can destroy it. Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?"

If Iroh had been able to he would probably have been kowtowing on the floor but as it was the best thing he could manage was an awkward salute. "Yes Avatar Korra."

Korra lifted her foot off Iroh as she addressed Asami in a decidedly softer tone than what Iroh had gotten. "Do you mind if I borrow one of your airships? The sooner I get over there the better."

"Borrow an airship?" asked Asami, one hand on her hip. "You're not trying to leave me behind are you? If you're going over there then I'm going with you." She held a finger up to stop any arguing before it began. "I'm not letting you do this alone Korra. Let's go."

She would have liked to leave right away but Iroh and Asami both needed a few hours to put things in order with the United Forces and Future Industries respectively. Not to mention the airship needed to be fueled up and checked to make sure it was fit to fly. Once they were underway however one critical detail came up as they discussed what their plan was.

"What do you mean you don't know where this lab is!? Chou never told you?" Korra asked disbelievingly.

Iroh shook his head as he answered the question."Chou never knew where he was working. They kept him blindfolded when he was being taken to and from the lab. That was partly how he got away, he jumped out of a moving car while they were taking him back from the lab and fled into the city. I don't know if it was blind luck or fate but he ended up hiding from his pursuers on the estates of a house loyal to my mother. They turned him over to us and we sent him to Republic City via their embassy."

"Do you have any leads on where it might be?" Korra inquired, folding her arms as she did so.

"Does the Fire Nation keep track of electrical usage? A lab trying to create spirit energy weapons would need a lot of electricity and there would be a huge spike in the records that would be easy to find if you do." Leave it to Asami to approach it from an engineering perspective.

Iroh looked at Asami as he responded to her suggestion. "We do and we've searched through all of them but there wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Our next thought was that the records might have been doctored so we checked all of the meters but they were identical to what was in the records."

Korra drummed her fingers on her arm as the three of them fell silent, each thinking of something that might provide the answer to their problem. After a few seconds something occurred to Korra and she snapped her fingers. "I got it! Asami, you said the vines are touchy right? They explode if exposed to too much electricity."

Asami nodded slowly. "Yes... what are you getting at?"

"Don't you see? They can't keep something like that in the city. Explosions draw attention that they don't want. The lab has to be somewhere out of the way, somewhere that explosions won't get the police's attention. Iroh, can you recall anything like that in the Fire Nation?"

Iroh frowned to himself contemplatively as he threw his mind back, sifting through his memories. "Actually yes now that you mention it. There's an old coal mine about an hours drive from the capital city that had been shut down for decades. There were some promising veins if I remember right but the area became seismically unstable and there were too many cave-in's and tunnels collapsing from tremors so it got closed down. But a few months ago a company purchased the property and was going to try re-opening the mine with modern techniques and equipment. I'm told it was a running joke around the city for weeks and then people forgot about it."

"That's it, that's the lab. They hid it right in plain sight. Who looks twice at a mine that people think is a joke?" Korra pointed out.

"A mine like that would be a good hiding place for this." Asami mused. "All the shipments of tools and equipment makes it easy to smuggle things in and the place has a history of collapses which would explain any explosions. It sounds like a good place to check out to me. What do you think Iroh?" asked Asami.

"I'm not convinced you're right about this Korra but it is something we've never considered.'' Iroh grudgingly admitted. "But if it is the lab then it'll be well guarded. May I use your radio Miss Sato once we're in range of a tower? I can call ahead and have some of my allies ready once we arrive at the capital.."

"By all means, the radio is up near the cockpit." said Asami. Once he was gone Asami joined Korra at the window she was staring out of, putting one hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right Korra? You were pretty rough with Iroh earlier and you feel pretty tense right now. Is something the matter?"

"It's... this whole thing just feels wrong somehow. There's something we're missing but I don't know what it is. I'll be really glad when this is over." Korra turned away from the window to face Asami whilst taking the other woman's hands in hers. "But I know what will make me feel better. Bring any toys or maybe some rope?"

Asami's eyes widened and she took a long step backwards. Of all the possible times to do _that_. Korra was bringing it up while they were en route to the Fire Nation in order to prevent an international war by destroying the lab where spirit energy was being developed. Asami shook her head. "No I'm afraid not." The sight of Korra's hopes being dashed was almost enough to dissuade Asami but this was a conversation they needed to have. "Korra..." Asami began tentatively. "I need to ask you something. What are we?"

"What?"

"What are we Korra? I know you've enjoyed our scenes but is that all there is to what we have? I know things have always been complicated between us but I don't know what to call our relationship anymore. What am I to you? A friend with benefits? Your girlfriend?"

Korra's hands fell to her side, the unexpected change of subject catching her by surprise. "I don't know." Korra eventually admitted. "I like you, you're my best friend and all the stuff you've done to me has been amazing. But I've never sat down and actually tried to sort through what my feelings actually are. I know it's not much of an answer but I'll think about it when I get the time okay?"

It wasn't much of a response, it didn't even come close to answering her question but there was an edge of frustration to Korra's jaw that Asami had learned to recognize over the years. It was a warning beacon to anyone who knew the Avatar saying 'don't push me, I'm not in the mood.' Asami exhaled softly and rubbed at her temple. "That's fine. I'll come find you before we're landing. It'll be a day and a half or so if the wind stays at our back."

They had been making good time but soon enough the weather turned against them. Drab clouds lined the horizon and they found themselves flying into a fierce gale. By the time their ship was landing the skies had opened up and rain was pelting the ground at a frenetic pace. Korra flinched when the first few drops hit her head as she disembarked from the ship. She twirled her fingers in a circle, forming an almost invisible umbrella of air above their hands as they headed for the shining headlights waiting a short distance away.

Korra pulled the door open letting Asami in before taking a seat next to her in the back of the vehicle. As she was pulling on her seat belt, a vaguely familiar voice drifted backwards from behind the steering wheel of the car. "It's an honor to welcome you to the Fire Nation once again. Though I have a feeling this meeting will be more amenable than our last."

She had only met him once before and even then very briefly but there was no mistaking the face of the man addressing her now. Korra ignored his comment as she glared at the back of Iroh's head in the front passenger seat. "What is he doing here!? He tried to kill me!"

"Ah that's not true. I was hired to make it look like I was trying to kill you Avatar Korra. If I actually wanted you dead then-"

Iroh cut their driver and perpetrator of what had been a farce of an assassination attempt off. "You talk too much Machi. That's always been your biggest weakness. Are the others ready?"

"Yes Prince Iroh. They're aware of our destination and what we're looking for. Shall we go?" asked Machi.

"The sooner we get this done the better. Let me know when we arrive." said Iroh, slumping down in his seat and closing his eyes. A few seconds later and Machi was turning the wheel as they departed the airfield, a second car close behind them. Korra crossed her arms, huffing irritably to express her displeasure about Iroh's choice of ally but Iroh was probably right about them needing allies for the upcoming fight.

If the weather had been fairer then Korra could have passed the time by watching the landscape outside but this pouring rain meant all she could see was a curtain of raindrops on the door's window. She stared at them for a few moments before following Iroh's example and closing her eyes to wait. At her side Asami was using a screwdriver to tinker with one of those electric shock gloves that she always seemed to have lying around no matter where she was.

"We're here."

Korra jumped, almost hitting her head on the roof, as Machi's voice shook her out of the half-asleep stupor she had fallen into during the drive. Their car was surrounded by trees and the rain outside had let up. Asami and the others had already gotten out and were waiting for her. Iroh pointed at a nearby ridge. "The mine is on the other side of this this hill. We're still a few kilometers away but there's only one road going in and out and it's safe to assume that it's being watched. We'll hike in from here and split up to search the buildings. Kori and Vachir come with me. Machi go with the Avatar."

Korra scowled but Iroh was already on the move leaving Machi alone with Korra and Asami. He shrugged apologetically. "I can understand your reluctance to partner with me Avatar Korra but as I said, I wasn't really trying to kill you. I was hired to make it look like I was trying to kill you." Machi stated.

"You swung that thing of yours at me! What if I hadn't been a metalbender?" Korra asked indignantly.

"You're the Avatar, I wasn't worried about you being able to stop my attack. Though if you couldn't handle one man with a kusarigama then you aren't deserving of the title. But that was one job and now I've been hired for another."

"So you're just a mercenary for hire." spat Korra, her dislike of the man growing the more he talked.

"I am." Machi didn't appear fazed by her obvious contempt for him. "But I have a job to do and standing around here won't get it done." He gestured in the direction that Iroh had gone. "Shall we Avatar Korra?"

Korra rolled her eyes and started walking, Asami and Machi falling in behind her.

A few buildings, parking lot and one enormous pile of earthen waste were the first clues that they had arrived at the mine. Beyond them was a fence surrounding a large opening into the side of the mountain. Iroh waved at her and pointed at them then at the cavern before disappearing into one of the outer buildings. Korra exchanged a glance with Asami before they headed towards the mine itself. She had ordered Iroh to help her destroy the spirit energy lab and it had been her idea to check this place out yet somehow Iroh had taken charge of this mission. There was no point in trying to argue over who was in charge at the moment however. Finding out if this was the right place was the priority right now.

Heavy construction vehicles were parked just around the first curve of the mine itself. Earth movers, diggers and a couple of vehicles with what looked like a very large chainsaw mounted on them. Several dirt tunnels, each large enough for those vehicles to move through them, extended out in different directions. Machi looked between them before pointing at one on the left. "This one looks like it's the newest, there's no rails and these tracks look fresh to me."

The hall in question wasn't very long, perhaps twenty meters, and there were a pair of metal doors, one large and the other human sized, at the end of it. Korra grinned as she cracked her knuckles. "Stand back you two." She punched her hands towards the smaller door, dents appearing in it, once and then again before she wrenched it off its hinges tossing it to the side. Korra took a few steps inside, her gaze sweeping the room. This was it.

Spirit vines of various sizes hung from a rack off to one side of the large hollowed out space, some sporting metal inserts at one end or the other. Machines whose purpose Korra had no idea of were scattered all about and there was another door at the opposite end of the room leading even deeper into the mountain.

She had just started to turn around when Korra felt a pair of fists striking her back from behind in multiple spots. The Avatar spun around to see Machi standing there with his fists in the air, she raised one hand to hurl fire at him but nothing came out, not even when she tried again. Her eyes widened at the sudden realization of where he had struck her. The exact same spots Asami had used during their last scene together. Her bending was gone.

"Traitor!" The yell echoed off the walls of the cavernous room as Korra attacked with the weapons still remaining to her. At the same time Asami was jumping forward with her gauntlet at the ready but Machi reacted with blinding speed as the two woman came at him. Seconds later Korra was sprawled on the ground from some sort of hip toss and Asami was shaking from the effects of her own glove before her eyes fell shut and she collapsed to the ground.

A slow clapping sound filled the air and the unfamiliar sounding voice of a woman pierced the air. "Very well done Machi. I see why your reputation precedes you and I'm especially glad that you're no longer working for the Prince. It was such a shame to see someone as talented as you shackled in that manner."

Korra groaned and pushed herself up to one knee, her eyes taking their time to focus on the woman who was speaking. When she did though...

During their flight over here Korra had been trying to figure out what she had been missing. The thread that tied this whole mess together. And now she had it. Her violently red hair was almost completely covered by a shawl but there was no mistaking the face of Bolin's former co-star on the big screen.

Suddenly all the pieces were there and the realization of how they all fit together hit her like a ton of bricks. The improved movers, the copies of Amon's mask, the bombs, the attack on Asami's mansion, Chou's murder, Ifuago, Viper and the whole Spirit Energy crisis. "You're a spy."

It was her and not her at the same time. Physically this was the same woman but the resemblance ended there. Gone was that air of an empty head, the vanity and proclivity towards too much makeup. There wasn't any strut to her gait, no simpering to her lips and where she had been haughty before was the cold gaze of someone who had done things that ate at the soul until there was nothing left. Even her clothing was different, no stylish dress and heels here, just plain leather armor and the hilts of two broadswords peeked up over her shoulders.

"I was but not anymore." Ginger agreed with Korra's label. "My job was to get close to Varrick and send anything of interest back home. The cameras were a nice find but then he started researching spirit energy and that was my ticket to the top."

It was almost funny but Korra found herself unable to laugh at the joke the universe was playing on her. Ginger's claim to fame had been playing a damsel in distress but her greatest role was an actress was one that only a handful of people would ever know the truth of. "So that's how you got those contracts. You promised them spirit energy weapons. So now what?" asked Korra. "Attack Republic City? Wait for the other nations to attack the Fire Nation? You're starting a war you know."

Ginger just laughed, amused at the Avatar's blatant attempt at fishing for information. "Do you really think I'm going to answer that? Tell you my plans? How foolish do you think I am?" She tapped one finger against her chin before crouching in front of the Avatar. "But I suppose I can tell you what your future holds though." She glanced at Asami, still lying in the dirt, Machi was kneeling at her side as he examined Asami's electric glove. "And hers."

"I have to admit, I really thought Sato wouldn't be able to turn down all the money I offered her even if it meant giving me something I could blackmail her with. It's disappointing that tactic failed me but my little foray into your mansion gave me something even better than what I asked for in the first place. Who knew the great and mighty Avatar Korra was a woman of such tastes." Ginger licked at her lips as she leered at Korra. "I was planning to kill you when you inevitably came looking for the lab but after seeing those movers I've changed my mind. You'll require some molding but you already get off on being tied up and treated like a slave so I'm sure it won't take long until that's all that's left of you."

She glanced at Asami's unconscious body again before continuing her monologue. "As for Sato... well she was Machi's price for this particular job. I don't know what he plans to do with her but I'm sure you and I will find out at some point."

Korra stared at Ginger numbly as the woman described the bleak future awaiting her and Asami. It wasn't enough that her most intimate and vulnerable moments had been stolen and viewed by a stranger, an enemy. Now those same moments were being corrupted into a horrible caricature. She had surrendered her bending and freedom to Asami even if only for brief moments but now that same surrender would be forced upon her. Permanently. She wouldn't be the Avatar or even a woman anymore, just a shell of her former self whose only purpose was to serve the twisted whims and fantasies of this... thing.

A stream of greenish-yellow liquid sprayed out from Korra's mouth as her stomach emptied itself onto the leather outfit of Korra's would-be owner. Ginger gagged and she rose to her feet, hands held as if to wipe herself off but not wanting to. "For fuck's sake." One of her hands slapped Korra's cheek and she turned towards Machi. "Give me your handkerchief!"

Somewhere in the recesses of Korra's mind something flickered as she stared at the hilts now exposed to her and time seemed like it had slowed down as she rose to her feet. One of her hands grabbed onto the nearest hilt pulling it loose and slicing downwards as its owner spun back around to confront the Avatar. Ginger reeled backwards from the blow, half of her face hidden behind fingers now painted crimson as she shrieked in agony. Machi visibly hesitated, torn between advancing on Korra or helping his new and now wounded employer. Pragmatism won out as he went for the redheaded woman, sweeping her up in his arms and fleeing back the tunnel towards the entrance.

By the time Asami came to Korra had fallen to her knees, a blooded sword lying in front of her as Korra sobbed into her hands. Asami pushed herself up to stand on a pair of unsteady feet and half walked, half staggered to the Avatar as quickly as she could, her muscles still slow to respond from the glove's caress and pulled Korra's head to her shoulder in a gentle embrace. "Shhh, it's okay. It's okay."

Asami couldn't be sure what had happened while she was unconscious but it couldn't have been good if that sword's red edge was any clue. The only thing that mattered to her at the moment however though was consoling the Avatar and the fact that it seemed like they were about to succeed in preventing a war wasn't anywhere to be found.


	19. Delays

"Will the Avatar be joining us Miss Sato?"

Asami was seated in one of the Royal Palace's receiving rooms. At her side was a faintly familiar seeming man with dark black hair and in front of Asami was a table whose surface was inlaid with obsidian tinted red. She shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not. Yesterday was rather rough on Korra and she's recuperating at the moment."

The Fire Lord wasn't there in the room with Asami but her voice was present, emanating all the way from Republic City through the phone in this room. The servant lifted a small ceramic kettle pouring a steaming liquid into a porcelain cup as Izumi responded. "That's unfortunate but I hope she is well. My son told me of yesterday's events though he obviously can only guess at what happened in the mine."

There wasn't an actual question but it was plainly obvious to Asami what the Fire Lord was inquiring about. Asami shifted her weight in the chair as she ran through the story she had prepared in her head on the way here. It wasn't technically a lie but there wasn't any need to delve into the more sordid details of what Ginger had threatened Korra with. "After we split up Korra and I were searching the mine with Machi. It didn't take long for us to find the spirit vines but Machi turned on us. I got knocked out so I didn't see what happened but after I came to Machi was gone. Iroh showed up later and we destroyed everything in there. It's possible that she has a backup site somewhere but I have a feeling Ginger won't be getting her hands on spirit energy anytime soon."

"I see." stated the Fire Lord, her voice unusually flat for someone who had just learned that a war had been averted. "And what of… Ginger? Did you actually see her there?"

"Not personally but Korra did... why?"

"Osamu."

The servant in the room immediately bowed even though Izumi was hundreds of kilometers away in Republic City. "Yes Fire Lord?"

"Find my son. Tell him that he's to search the city with every available soldier and police officer. I want that woman found." Osamu bowed again and departed the room with all due haste. He didn't even bother closing the door behind him.

"If you don't mind I would like to change the topic while I have you on the phone Miss Sato. I am aware that there have been disruptions to your schedule but I would like to know what progress you have made on the infrastructure upgrades for the Fire Nation."

"Oh! Uhm well I've laid some groundwork but my engineers are working on them in my absence. I can't really say what they've gotten done from here though. If you don't mind waiting for me to return to Republic City then I could walk you through what we've gotten done so far." Asami took a drink from the faintly steaming cup of tea.

"Very well. I will be here when you arrive. Have a safe flight Miss Sato." The phone clicked as the Fire Lord hung up and the line went dead.

Asami sighed to herself as she set the mouthpiece back onto the stand and stood up. For a moment she was sorely tempted to throw her hands up in the air and scream out loud. The road ahead of Future Industries had seemed like it was paved with gold bricks when Izumi had given those contracts to Korra at first. But now Asami had gotten a good long glimpse at the troubles and problems of working with the Fire Nation that had been hidden like an Unagi lurking beneath the surface of the ocean. The thought of just selling the contracts and being done with the Fire Nation forced itself into her thoughts as she walked the halls of the Royal Palace. It was an idea that Asami knew she would have in the future but ultimately the amount of money she would leave on the table if she followed that particular urge was enough to dissuade her no matter how frustrating this nation was. Waiting outside was the car that had conveyed her to the palace for her conversation with the Fire Lord. Asami pulled the rear door open and sat down in the back. "Take me to the Royal Airfield please."

Lee was lying on the ramp leading into her airship as he stared at the clouds floating in the blue sky above them. He jumped to his feet when Asami's car pulled up and she climbed out. "Ah, begging your pardon Miss Sato. I didn't know you'd be back so soon. What's the word?" he asked.

"How is Korra doing? Is she still asleep?" asked Asami, a look of concern clouding her face.

"Yes ma'am. I've checked on her like you ordered and she hasn't gotten out of bed yet. Are we going?"

"Undo the tethers and check the propellers will you Lee? I'll start the engine up." ordered Asami as she strode up the ramp into the ship itself. She plopped herself down in the cushioned leather chair in front of the steering wheel. Lights on the console began turning on as she flipped switches and pressed the buttons that would start the propellers spinning. Asami hit the final switch and nothing. No vibrations or the sound of spinning metal blades. She looked out the window to see Lee standing down below. If things had been working right then he would be spinning one hand in a circle but instead he was holding up a fist to indicate a non-start. Asami quickly turned away and pushed down on the emergency switch that would shut down the engines and reset her dashboard to off.

Lee grunted as he pulled the stuck panel loose to get at what was behind it. He toggled the flashlight in his hand and aimed it at the engine components within. After a bit Lee reached in and pulled a handful of wires out. The engineer turned away from the panel and held them up in the air for Asami to see. "There's the problem Miss Sato."

Asami turned away from the panel she had been looking at to come see what Lee was talking about. She took the wires from him and her face slowly fell as she examined the ends. "This wasn't an accident... there's no way all these wires would break at the same time and look at this. They were partially cut through then twisted loose. Someone sabotaged my ship... we have to check everything now. We're not leaving until I'm sure that it's safe for us to fly." After what Korra had told her Asami had a very good idea of who that 'someone' was and why she would sabotage their airship. Revenge.

The man involuntarily grimaced at the thought of doing a full check with just the two of them here. "As you say Miss Sato."

"I know, I know. It'll take us a couple of days but that's better than blowing up or something else going wrong mid-flight. I'll get Korra to help us so it goes a little faster." said Asami.

Lee shook his head just a little at that idea. "Begging your pardon but is that a good idea? I'm not one to insult the Avatar but does she know anything about airships? She's never struck me as being mechanically minded."

Asami glanced at the wires in her hand before addressing Lee's concerns. "No offense taken Lee, you're right after all. Korra doesn't know much about propeller shafts or brush motors but she can check the wiring while we look at the propellers."

Under ordinary circumstances it would take a full crew of ten workers a few hours to look over an airship from top to bottom but this particular check took the three of them nearly two days before Asami was satisfied that they had found everything. The propellers and engines had gone untouched but there were several more areas where the wiring had been mangled or cut by a knife. Having someone sabotage your airship was never a good thing but Asami felt some small measure of relief that they had only damaged things that were easy to repair.

Lee approached the panel that Asami was kneeling next to, toolbox in one hand and a copy of the airship's manual in the other. "Here you go Miss Sato."

Asami glanced down at the toolbox for a second to see if anything was missing. Multimeter, soldering iron, electrical tape along with a few screwdrivers and wrenches of various sizes. She tapped her chin for a moment before deciding to try something that had occurred to her after seeing that first set of damaged wires. "Please go fetch Korra Lee, we're going to do a little experiment."

When Lee returned with the Avatar in tow Asami gestured at the open panel in front of her. "I have a challenge for you. These wires are made out of copper so you should be able to bend them. I want to see what happens when you use your bending to fuse the wires back together."

Korra tilted her head to the side before kneeling down next to Asami. "Uhm okay, why not." she said while taking part of a snipped wire in each hand. She positioned the ends next to her and her brow scrunched as she focused on the exposed metal cores. After a few seconds the copper strands began flowing towards and then into each other as they melded into a single continuous piece.

Once it was done Asami grabbed the multimeter and the probes wrapped around it. She untangled them before placing the metal tips of the probes to the segment of exposed copper. Behind her Lee was flipping through the manual as the measuring needle on the multimeter jumped back and forth before settling down. "Looks like the resistance increased but it's still within safety specs. It's an interesting idea Miss Sato but using a soldering iron is still better in my opinion. Metalbenders aren't exactly common and the solder you use helps keep the gauge roughly the same size."

"Well it was worth a try at least." said Asami as she picked up the soldering iron. "Let's get to it Lee. The sooner we get this done the sooner we can leave."

An hour later and Asami back at the controls, guiding the airship up into the sky before aiming the nose towards the east and leaving the Fire Nation behind them. Now that they were underway another problem had wormed its way into Asami's thoughts. Two days of searching her airship for sabotage was two days that the Fire Lord had been waiting for her in Republic City. Izumi hadn't struck Asami as the impatient type but she was still the Fire Lord and not someone you wanted to keep waiting around.

Asami joined Korra and Lee by the ramp at the rear of her ship after they had landed at the airfield on the outskirts of Republic City. "Do you mind if Lee takes you back to the mansion Korra? I need to call Izumi and set up a meeting right now."

Korra gave a smile but Asami could still see the shadows of their encounter with Ginger lurking in the woman's eyes. "I'll see you later right Asami?" asked the Avatar.

Asami stepped in closer planting a kiss on Korra's cheek. "Of course. I'll come home as soon as I can. We can have dinner together if you want but I really need to go now."

She turned away, hurrying for the garage where Asami had left her car before heading back to the Fire Nation. Korra and Lee were heading for the same place, but at a less frenetic pace and Asami quickly left them behind as she entered the building. Inside was a phone meant for people to call for a taxi or someone else to come pick them up from the airfield. It was a little bit of a faux pas to use it for business but no one else was around at the moment. Asami grabbed the mouthpiece and began spinning the rotary dial as she entered the number for the Fire Nation embassy. A cordial sounding woman's voice came through after a few rings. "Hello, this is the Fire Nation Embassy, how may I help you?"

"Yes, this is Asami Sato. I was calling to speak to the Fire Lord if she's available."

"Just one moment while I transfer you Miss Sato."

The phone went quiet for a moment then there was a clicking sound and Izumi was on the other end of the line. "Good evening Miss Sato. I assume you're calling to schedule the meeting we spoke of last time. I apologize for the inconvenience but I'm planning to leave in the morning. Would you be available to meet tonight in an hour?"

An hour. That was plenty of time to get to the headquarters of her business but barely enough to see what her engineers had gotten done in her absence. "Yes of course. I'll meet you at Future Industries HQ if that's all right with you."

"I will see you then." Izumi hung up without another word.

Asami set the mouthpiece down, letting out a long sigh as the thought of walking away surfaced yet again. By now Korra and Lee had entered the garage and were getting into Lee's vehicle. Asami lifted one hand to wave as Lee drove away before heading for her own car. By the time she had gotten outside their car was near the far end of the airfield heading for the road that would take them to the Sato estate. Asami turned the wheel of her car to go the opposite direction into Republic City.

A few months ago and this would have been a busy road but recent events left the street empty of cars aside from hers. All of the light poles that should have been on were out, even the traffic lights in this area weren't functioning. Asami glanced away from the road as she turned the knob on her radio and her favorite music station began playing. When she looked back up a pair of headlights were shining through the window of her car's passenger door.

The impact shattered the windows spraying glass into the cab as her car spun in a half circle before coming to a dead stop in the middle of the street. Asami groaned, raising her throbbing head to stare blearily at the world outside.

Her door was yanked open and a pair of hands were roughly yanking her out of the car. Asami tried to raise her arms to fight them off but there was no strength in her at the moment. The last thing she saw before passing out was someone with a red mane dragging her by the coat towards the car that had struck hers.


	20. Wrath

Content warning: Off screen torture, depiction of wounds, character death.

* * *

Asami may have ordered Lee to drive Korra back to her mansion, but it was clear from the start of their drive that it was an order he didn't relish, resulting in an awkward silence. From time to time Korra could see Lee glancing sidelong at her but not saying anything. Eventually she conceded the waiting game and broke the silence. "All right I'll bite. What's the problem?"

"Problem? I- I don't know what you're talking about..." His voice trailed off as she raised an eyebrow at him. Lee sighed a bit as he focused his attention on the road again. "I've lived in Republic City all my life. Life in the big city isn't perfect but it's been pretty good for me. I got a good job, pretty wife, couple kids, what everyone comes here looking for. But then you showed up and things started getting weird. Equalists try to take over the city, six months later that spirit attacks and the city gets overrun by vines. Things seemed like they had settled down for a while after that but then Kuvira shows up in a giant robot and destroys nearly half the city. You're the Avatar and that means you attract trouble. My family got through all that stuff with just a few scratches but now..."

He looked away from the road at the Avatar sitting next to him in the passenger's seat of his car. "But now I'm a lot closer than I'd like to be. So begging your pardon but I just wanna drop you off and get away before the next crisis happens."

Korra blinked at the unexpectedly candid and blunt declaration from the engineer. "You can't blame me for that. It's not my fault all that stuff happened. Other people are responsible, not me."

Lee shrugged in response. "Maybe so Avatar Korra. But my point still stands, you're usually at the middle of stuff I'd just as soon avoid." He adjusted the gear stick as they pulled into the driveway leading to the Sato estate. "Be seeing you."

Korra lifted an eyebrow and Lee slowly looked the other way when he realized what he had just said. She suppressed a chuckle as she got out of the car. Lee's car backed up a few meters before he turned and took off down the driveway.

It would have been nice to come back to a quiet estate but that wasn't the case. In the distance a construction crew was busy at work repairing the hole created by those bombs. It was necessary but the sound of their power tools was loud enough that Korra could hear them even from the front stairs of the mansion. The noise wasn't as bad inside but still audible as she headed through the mansion towards the pool. Her book on healing was on the table where she had left it but one of the house staff had inserted a bookmark and closed it at some point. Korra settled down on the chair and grabbed the book picking up on where she had left off.

She had only gotten through a few pages when a polite cough interrupted her. Korra looked up to see the stylist Kaya wringing her hands nearby. "E-excuse the interruption Avatar Korra but I have instructions I have to follow." Kaya stammered.

Korra set the book down, a sense of disquiet overtaking her as she looked at the other woman. Kaya's knuckles were nearly white as she wrung her hands and there was a bead of sweat running down her forehead. "What's wrong?" Korra asked.

Kaya pulled a note from her pocket and held it out to Korra with trembling fingers. "I got a call this morning from a voice I didn't recognize. He has my sister and he said I have to give you this phone number when you arrived. You're supposed to call it. I don't know why."

"Where's the nearest phone?"

Kaya led Korra out of the pool and to a room roughly the same of a closet nearby. Inside was nothing more than a table with a phone on top of it. The Avatar glanced at the note Kaya had given her repeatedly as she spun the rotary dial multiple times. A clicking sound came through the line and then it was ringing as the connection was established. The rings soon came to a halt. "Hello Korra. It's so nice of you to call."

Her fingers tightened on the handset as Ginger's voice addressed her. "What is this? Why am I calling you?"

Ginger chuckled at Korra's brusque questions. "My, my, my. They really don't teach people manners in the South do they? But to answer your question I'm calling to show you how grateful I am to you for destroying my toys and the makeover you gave me."

A thump came across the line and then silence for a few seconds. After that a single high pitched anguished scream from the owner of the mansion she was currently standing in. Korra froze in place as the sound tore at her innards with frigid talons that hurt more than any wound she had ever received in battle. Ginger picked the phone up once more, a cruel chuckle preceding her words. "These gloves that her father invented are so very interesting. Tell me, how long do you think it'll take before she goes off to join him? I have no idea myself but I'll let you know."

The line went dead.

"No. No. No!" The phone left a dent in the wall and fell to the ground in pieces from Korra hurling it before falling to her knees as she screamed. Asami was gone. Taken.

An all too familiar sensation of wrath began bubbling in that place deep down where Raava skulked, ever ready to emerge. Korra had always warded that rage away when it had crept upon her in the past but not this time. She closed her eyes embracing that burning rage, letting it consume her until it was all that she felt. Asami was suffering.

One hand slapped palm down upon the floor. Was this Korra's doing or was it Raava? Was there any separating the two at this moment? Their thoughts raced outwards in her every direction all at once as they searched. The first to appear were the servants and construction crew present at the mansion but they weren't the target. They pushed further, past the forest surrounding the mansion and into the city itself. First dozens, then thousands and quickly millions as they scoured the metropolis from its sewers to the peaks of its towering skyscrapers. Asami was dying.

There.

Korra launched herself forward, the wall giving way before her as she headed towards her target in the shortest path possible. A straight line, fixed, unwavering and visible to anyone who looked up to see the Avatar racing through the sky on jets of crimson torches. How fast she was moving was anyone's guess but kilometers that now seemed impossibly long lay between the Sato estate and downtown.

The Four Elements hotel had once been the most luxurious hotel in Republic City and one of the grandest in the world. At one time or another it had counted all of the nation's leaders as its guests and had even served as a home for Prince Wu before the ceremony where he was to have been crowned as the Earth King. But now it was the world's poshest looking husk, abandoned like so much of the city had been.

She thrust one fist forward, forming a sharply pointed cone of air about her while the building drew ever closer until she was smashing through the wall and into the suite behind it. Two women were already present inside but Korra only had eyes for the redhead wielding an electric gauntlet at the moment.

Ginger's gloved hand reached towards Asami, perhaps intending to finish the job while she still could but Korra's out-thrust palm was faster. A torrent of air flooded forwards lifting the Fire Nation woman off her feet and hurled her away from Asami. Ginger let out a sharp cry as her back smashed into the wall behind her. After making impact, the water pipes hidden behind the wall burst free and latched themselves around Ginger's limbs and neck, trapping her in place. Korra's feet slowly descended to the floor and the water leaking from the broken pipes rose up, forming itself into spikes of ice aimed at the Fire Nation woman.

"Kor...ra"

It was almost too quiet to be heard but somehow Asami's hoarse whisper was loud enough to cut through the tempest raging within the Avatar. Korra turned around to see Asami's head dropping back towards the floor, the mere act of speaking sapping what little of her strength that had remained.

Asami had been stripped down to her underwear while her hands and feet had been lashed to the posts of the bed with bands of silk. Small rivulets of red were staining the white skin of her arms and her wrists were chafed raw around the ropes tying her down. The worst part however was the malicious and meticulously inflicted pattern of fiery crimson and black burns covering Asami from her ankles all the way up to her shoulders.

The white light radiating from Korra's irises vanished and she hurried to her lover's side, Ginger instantly forgotten. She knelt down undoing the knots on the ankles before starting to loose the ones holding Asami's wrists. Asami collapsed almost immediately when her last limb was free but Korra's arms were waiting, gently easing her to the carpeted floor. Korra crooked her fingers and the water pooling on the floor by Gingers feet flowed to her and floated up to surround her hands. As she held her hands above Asami's figure the lessons Katara had sought to impress upon her with that manual came to the front of her mind. The most important thing was diagnosing what was wrong with your patient.

Korra closed her eyes to block out the sight of all those burns and she began to delve past them, seeing what had happened within. Asami's skin may have been pockmarked all over but it paled when set against the damage to her insides. Tears began welling at the corners of her eyes as she saw the myriad of paths the electricity had burned through her, they started from all over her body but every single one descended through her legs as the current inexorably sought its way to ground. "How are you still alive?" asked Korra as she frantically began healing, desperate to fix something – anything before it was too late.

By the time Korra had finished night had fully settled over the city and the room was noticeably chillier from cold air seeping in through the shattered window. Strands of her hair were plastered to her forehead and the back of her shirt was damp with sweat but it was done. Asami would live but there was still a lengthy and difficult road waiting for her. Asami's eyelids fluttered open and her eyes were quick to find their way to Korra. "Hey... you. Come here... often?"

Korra half laughed half sobbed as she resisted the impulse to hug Asami right there and then, instead settling for putting a hand on the woman's cheek. "How are you doing? Think you can handle me getting us out of here?"

A sound of disgust came from nearby reminding the Avatar that there was a third woman in the room. Ginger was staring at the two of them, unfettered enmity writ all over the half of her face that was visible. The other half was hidden underneath a thick white bandage speckled with circles of red wrapped about her head. Korra slowly stood, the anger that had possessed her hours earlier beginning to writhe once more.

"You. All of this was you. The bombs, Chou, nearly starting a war, hurting Asami. You're the one responsible for everything and for what? Ozai's been dead for decades. Why would you try to bring his ghost back?"

Ginger burst out laughing and the look she fixed Korra with made the Avatar feel like she was the one lashed to a wall. "You still don't get it do you? Ozai's just a red herring I used on those dimwitted fools back home. Nations rise and fall, it's the way of the world. What matters is humanity and defeating the real enemy. You might not remember but I was there when you asked Raiko to help you stop Unalaq and he refused. At first I thought you were full of shit but then a few days later the sky changed color and that thing attacked the city. That night changed my life, everything I had done up until then was pointless. The Fire Nation doesn't matter, Republic City doesn't matter. The only that does is stopping the Spirits before they kill us all."

"Then why..."

Ginger cut Korra off mid-sentence. "Varrick created the answer. I saw what happened when that cannon exploded. All I had to do was get my hands on a spirit energy bomb and set it off in the Spirit World. Spirits can't be a threat if there aren't any left."

Korra's mouth fell open as the actual intent and motives behind Ginger's actions were laid out on the table. Izumi had been wrong, Iroh had been wrong, _she_ had been wrong. This whole time they had thought they were fighting against people loyal to Ozai but even those houses had been dupes. The actual reason for everything was more horrendous than any of them had ever believed. "You're insane! Our worlds are connected together! What affects one affects the other!" Korra shook her head pressing her fingers into her temples, the idea being almost too much for her to even comprehend. "I'll give Iroh a call to let him know where you are. You're his problem now.

She turned away putting Ginger out of her mind while stripping the bed of its sheet. Korra gently wrapped it around the barely clothed woman before carrying her to the window as gently as she could, taking the fastest route away from this place. Then she was gone, descending to the ground on a pair of small flames beneath her feet.

Ginger sneered at Korra's back as the Avatar departed before testing her bonds again. It was a futile effort but one she had persisted in trying periodically in the hours since Korra had restrained her here. The metal pipes weren't tight enough to cut off her circulation but there wasn't any she was getting out of here. At least not on her own. Ginger turned her head towards the doors that people normally used to get into this room. "Any time now."

One of the doors swung open and a man dressed in the uniform of a United Republic general entered the room, an almost bemused expression on his face. "Quite the predicament you've found yourself in isn't it?"

"Shut up. I know you heard everything I said and I know you understand how to do your duty. Get me out of here and help me save our race." She tilted her head towards one of the metal pipes pinning her in place.

Iroh slowly shook his head as he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. "You're right about one thing. I know how to do my duty even if I don't like it. All this skulking about and world of half truths you live in... it's disgusting. I keep washing my hands but they still reek no matter what kind of soap I use. I'll take the battlefield and an honest enemy to stand on the other side of it any day over _this_."

The general took a deep breath and hardened his face as he sternly glared at the woman trapped by bonds of metal she couldn't free herself from. "You have shamed yourself, your House and the entire Fire Nation by your actions. As Crown Prince I sentence you to death."

The prince drew his sword.


	21. Anagnorisis (smut)

"Where are we going?" asked Korra as she pushed the wheelchair down the hall. Its occupant, Asami, pointed at a door adjacent to the one leading to where the pools were. Korra moved forward, opening the door before taking the wheelchair's handles again and heading through the indicated doorway.

Inside was a short hallway leading to a sort of lodge that clearly had been newly added. The lodge was rather plain at the moment, its only defining feature was a sunken circular pool both long and shallow enough for someone to lie down in."I had the construction crew build this while we were away before getting started on fixing the walls." Asami explained. "I figured you'd need somewhere to practice your healing... I never thought that you'd be using it to fix me though."

"You didn't need to do this Asami. I would have been fine practicing in the pool with a bucket... but thank you." said Korra.

Asami slowly reached over her shoulder to place her shaky fingers onto Korra's. "I wanted to do it though, and you're welcome." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay I'm ready."

Korra walked around the wheelchair to stand in front of it before lifting Asami from the chair. She was as gentle as she could be but the simple act of carrying Asami over to and then lying her down in the pool was enough to make tears leak from Asami's eyes and she kept her mouth tightly pressed together. Korra gently brushed a few of the tears away with the back of her fingers. "I know it's painful and I'm sorry for that but it will stop hurting eventually. We just have to fight through it okay?"

"This is what it was like for you after what Zaheer did wasn't it?" asked Asami, staring down at her unresponsive legs. "I don't know how you handled it. I can't brush my hair, write my name... anything really. Even talking is uncomfortable... how long did it take for you to recover?"

"It took months before I could walk again but I was fighting Katara at every step, making things harder than they should have been. Somehow I don't think you'll be as difficult as I was." Korra gave a fake looking smile hoping to make it seem like more a joke and Asami hesitantly returned it as the Avatar began bending water to heal her.

"All right Asami, I want you to take it nice and slow. It's okay if you don't make it very far, the important thing is taking as many steps as you can."

Asami was sitting at one end of a pair of waist high rails, Korra standing at the other. It was only four meters but such a short distance had never been so intimidating before. She grabbed hold of the rails and pulled herself out of the chair. Sharp needles flared up all over as the muscles in her legs protested being put into service again after such a long vacation from their duties. Asami hissed softly but she urged her right foot forward and it haltingly cooperated, but not without all those needles complaining even louder than before. A second step followed the first but then her legs gave midway through a third and the only thing keeping her face from the floor was her vise like grip on the rails.

Korra was at her side in a heartbeat. "Are you alright Asami?" she asked.

Asami stared sullenly at her legs before lurching her way back into the wheelchair with as much grace as a person whose legs weren't working right could manage. "Why are you here Korra?"

"What?"

"Why are you here? You don't have to help me. I could hire rehab specialists to do this. There's more important things for the Avatar to deal with. You could be helping Wu and Tenzin with the elections in the Earth Kingdom. Instead you've been here, dealing with my broken butt for the last six weeks."

Korra put her hand on the armrests of Asami's wheelchair as she crouched down in front of it. "Don't do that. You're important too. Mako, Bolin... me, all of us care about you and we want you to get better. I could be out there doing Avatar stuff but I'm here because this is where I choose to be and I'm not going anywhere until you're back on your feet." She turned away to look at the rails and avoid the pained expression her unintentional pun had put onto Asami's face. "Speaking of which, are you up for trying again?"

Asami leaned to the side looking past Korra at the two rails and the empty patch of air at their end, a seemingly impossible goal for her to reach. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for the pain she knew was awaiting her right now and in the days to come. "Okay."

Korra's fists were held up near her chin as she circled to her right, eyes focused on her opponent. Every step she took was mirrored by her opponent as the two of them revolved around an invisible and unmarked spot on the floor, both willing the other to make that first move. Korra feinted a left jab and her adversary retreated backwards before coming forward and responding in kind.

The dance between the two of them began in earnest once the standoff had broken. Jabs, crosses, kicks high and low flew back and forth but the few that did connect were blocked by arms or legs. Growing fed up with the stalemate, Korra growled and threw a high kick towards the head. The kick caught nothing but air and her opponent dropped low while shooting forward to grab the Avatar's other leg with both arms. Seconds later the two of them were sprawled on the ground, Korra on the bottom.

Korra twisted and squirmed, trying to get away and back up to her feet but every action somehow only made things worse for her. In mere moments she found herself lying on her side, one arm held above her at an angle and twisted in such a way so as to apply pressure to her shoulder. She tried to pull it free in a last ditch effort but to no avail, that grip was clamping down like a vice. Korra slapped her hand on the mats several times.

Asami scooted away from Korra to one side as she pulled her protective headgear off. "You always get impatient and do something reckless Korra. Took me long enough to punish you for it…" Her voice trailed off as she saw tears running down the Avatar's face and she crawled back over to Korra's side in alarm. "What's wrong? Did I hurt your shoulder? I didn't think I was cranking the joint very hard."

"No, no, no you didn't hurt me. My shoulder's fine. It's just... all these sparring sessions of ours you've never gotten me until now." Korra reached up to put a hand on Asami's cheek, a jubilant smile on her face to go along with the tears. "The way you were moving today... you're back. You're finally back."

Asami bit at her lip as she considered her so-called victory before shaking her head. "But I didn't, I mean not really. Even if you weren't pulling your punches you haven't used bending at all since we started sparring. If you were then I wouldn't have been able to take you down or get a submission."

Korra sat up and hugged her knees as she continued to argue the point. "Oh come on Asami, you're not giving yourself enough credit. Sure I'm not using my bending but that's because this is about getting you back to form. It wouldn't have been fair for me to use my bending while you were still out of shape. If you really want me to then I could start bending an element from now on. But that can wait for another day. I think we should celebrate. What do you say to dinner tonight?"

That drew a laugh from Asami. "We have dinner together every day Korra."

Korra threw her hands up in the air, exasperated. "I mean a fancy dinner without Kaya or any of the staff... you know just the two of us."

Asami started pulling off the protectors she was wearing on her wrists. "A fancy dinner? Just how fancy are we talking here? Black tie? White tie?"

"Uhmm." Korra pulled her helmet off, ponytails identical to the ones she had sported when first arriving in Republic City spilling out. "Do you still have the dress you wore to Varrick's wedding? That red one."

Asami took Korra's helmet from her, a wry look on her face, and tossed them into one of the boxes for holding equipment lining the wall. "I think I can manage that. How does dinner at nine sound to you?"

Korra brushed at her hair as she broke eye contact looking down and to the side. "Sure. That sounds good to me. I have some stuff to take care of but I'll see you then." The Avatar hurried off, but not without glancing over her shoulder at Asami from the doorway.

Asami was there at the appointed time but Korra hadn't shown up so it was just her and the food on the table. Roast duck, arctic hen, watermelon, peaches, mango juice for drinking along with kale cookies and mints for dessert. It was simpler fare than what her chef was accustomed to preparing but this was what Korra had requested. In addition to the food several candles had already been lit before Asami had shown up and there was a pleasant touch of vanilla to the air. She glanced at the grandfather clock in the parlor, its minute hand almost touching the symbol for two when the door opened.

Asami's breath caught in her throat when Korra entered the room. The Avatar was holding a bouquet of red roses in one hand and a small paper bag in the other but it was her outfit that drew Asami's eye. She had seen Korra wearing that black dress once before in the Fire Nation and that night had ended with... Asami shook her head to clear the memory just looking at Korra had brought up and she prayed the flush of her cheeks wasn't too obvious.

Korra set the bag down by her chair and she carried the flowers over to Asami. Her face reddened as she spoke, more to the floor than to Asami. "I don't know much about flowers but I thought they were pretty and that you might like them."

Asami took the bouquet from Korra bringing them up to her nose as she inhaled the scent of the roses. "That's sweet, thank you." She glanced around the room for a moment before heading for the door. "Hang on a second, these need a vase. I'll be right back." said Asami. To Korra's surprise the butler was already waiting outside the door with a vase full of water. Korra hadn't said anything to the man, or even seen him for that matter, but he must have spotted her carrying the flowers and predicted Asami's reaction. Asami flashed a quick smile as she took the flowers, seemingly unfazed by his presence there. "Thank you." She headed back for the table setting the flowers down in the middle of it before seating herself. "Well this is a pleasant surprise. A candlelit dinner, roses, both of us wearing dresses. Quite the celebration for me tapping you out." Korra blushed again and broke eye contact once more. Asami lifted an eyebrow but mentally shrugged it off. "Well let's eat shall we?"

Normally Korra had no reservations about chowing down with more gusto than anyone Asami had ever met but not tonight. She was still eating but in much smaller bites than usual and significantly slower as well. After several minutes Korra set her fork down, her plate still half full. "Asami." she began, her voice uncharacteristically tentative. "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it Korra?"

"Do you... do you blame me for what happened? For what... _she_ did to you."

Asami's fork stopped halfway to her mouth and she set it back down. They had never discussed what had happened in that hotel room, not once. The closest they had come to it was the daily sessions of healing and their discussions of the progress Asami had been making. Her name had never come up either and Korra's use of the word 'she' was as near as either of them had gotten to referencing her, as if saying that name might summon the person who had inflicted those burns upon Asami. "Why would I blame you for that?"

"Because _she_ did it to get back at me for what I did to her. The only reason _she_ went after you was for revenge. On me." said Korra, the guilt she had been carrying for the better part of the last year manifesting itself in her voice. "If it wasn't for me then you never would have gotten hurt."

Asami got up from her chair, moving over to crouch by Korra's chair and taking the Avatar's hand in hers. "No, Korra. I don't blame you for that and I never will. Yes I got hurt but it's not your fault and I don't want you to blame yourself for it either. Every time I've followed you into battle there's always been a chance that I could get wounded or killed, and that's a risk I've accepted." She squeezed Korra's fingers. "If anything you're the reason I'm still alive. When I realized I had been abducted I knew you would figure out where I was and come rescue me. I just had to endure..." Her voice dropped to a small whisper and it almost seemed as if the room itself had gotten darker. "And I did..."

Korra sighed audibly and her posture straightened as if a weight had been removed. She pulled her hand free just enough so that she could turn it over, interlacing their fingers together. "You asked me something a long time ago, 'What are we?' I've been thinking about that every since you asked me that, trying to come up with the answer. When I realized what was happening to you I was furious, angrier than I've ever been before and I hope I never get that way again. All I wanted to do was kill her, and I was going to. But when you said my name though I realized something else. I was even more scared than angry. I was terrified that I could lose you. These past months have shown me what an idiot I've been and how much I've been taking you for granted. You've always been there for me no matter what. The Equalists, Unalaq, rebuilding the Air Nation, that whole mess with Zaheer, stopping Kuvira. You've stood by me every time and I've never really said thank you."

She gripped Asami's fingers tighter than before. "So thank you. For always being there for me." Korra turned in her chair, her other hand reaching down into the bag she had brought in with her. When it came out a choker necklace with a platinum pendant attached to it was in her fingers. Asami covered her mouth with the palm of her hand and a strangled squeak came out of her when she realized what that necklace was.

"Wait this isn't right." said Korra as she looked down at Asami. She stood up from the chair pulling Asami to her feet, then knelt down in front of her. "Okay that's better." She held the necklace up towards Asami. "So... I'd like us to always be there for each other. What do you say?"

Asami touched the pendant with her free hand as she looked at what Korra had made for her. The piece of jewelry was a thin flat disc with the symbols of the four elements meticulously carved into its surface near each 'corner'. A long moment passed as the two of them looked at each other, Korra waiting for an answer on pins and needles. Asami took the necklace from Korra's grasp, fastening it around her neck with a soft click. "Yes."

Korra had been envisioning this moment for months, trying to see every possible outcome. What was she going to say to Asami, what would be the best way to explain the epiphany Korra had had. How would Asami react? Would she be excited that Korra was proposing? Was it possible that Asami preferred to be the one asking? Would Asami say yes or was there a chance that she would say no? That she didn't feel the same way towards the Avatar, that all she wanted to be was a friend, or a friend who tied her up and more. But with a single word Asami dispelled all of Korra's doubts and fears she had been harboring about the most important question of her life.

Korra stood, her arms wrapping around Asami and their lips came together. This was far from the first time she had kissed Asami but in a way it was. Every previous time had been carnal in nature, seeking to feed the ardor that had been driving her but not this time. This was gentle, slow and Korra could feel a joy coming from the other woman that had not been present for a long time. It was infectious in nature and she couldn't help but grin widely when they finally broke apart. "So does that answer your question Asami?"

"It does but now I have another one. Getting engaged is a lot bigger than a joint-lock so how exactly are we going to celebrate now?" asked Asami, trying to look serious and utterly failing as her smile kept re-emerging every time she put it away. "I have a few ideas. You, me, some rope or maybe a pair of handcuffs and a couple of toys I want to introduce you to."

"I'm willing to keep being your pet but not tonight Asami. Something else I realized was that all I've done is take. The things you've done to me... I never knew stuff like that existed or that I'd enjoy it so much. I've never returned the favor though, you have needs too and I haven't been a good partner about meeting them. So tonight you're going to sit back and let me take care of you." Korra took Asami's hand, gently pulling until the other woman followed her out into the hallway. Moments later the two of them were standing next to the bed that they had been sharing these past few months. Korra reached behind her back with both hands, undoing the zipper of her dress. She tugged the front down to her waist, exposing her bare chest to Asami's eyes, before pushing it down to her ankles and pulling one foot out at a time. The only piece of clothing remaining on the Avatar as she waved her finger in a circle was a plain pair of white briefs. "Turn around please."

Asami turned about to face the bed at Korra's request. A pair of hands reached around to grasp her chest while Korra pressed herself against Asami's back. Asami's breath caught in her throat as those fingers curled inwards while pushing her breasts together before letting go. Nothing happened for a moment as Korra's fingers moved up and down her back gently pulling at the dress in a few places as if searching for something. "Where is the zipper on this thing? I can't find it." Korra asked after she had given up in frustration.

The consternation in Korra's voice couldn't help but make Asami giggle. "This dress doesn't have a zipper like yours does. Here." Asami put her fingers on Korra's wrist guiding the Avatar's hand to her right side where Asami's belt was tied. "Start there and everything else will follow."

Korra deftly undid the knot and let the sash float to the carpet. Her hands gripped the folds of Asami's dress pulling them loose leaving the other woman in heels and a red slip. This time there was a zipper for the Avatar to undo as she kissed the side of Asami's neck. Asami shuffled her feet a bit and she stretched her neck to the side, hoping for more, a desire Korra was only too willing to oblige while she pushed that slip down and unclasped the other woman's bra. "Okay beautiful, on the bed now." Korra playfully smacked the bottom in front of her and Asami jumped just a tad before crawling onto the bed on all fours and rolling over onto her back.

The Avatar hesitated a few moments to take the sight of Asami's body in as she lay there. There were still a few faint red blotches that Korra could see if she focused on them but Asami's pale skin stood in stark contrast to the black hair splayed about her shoulders and the sheet beneath her. Seeing Korra's gaze beginning to wander, Asami rubbed her legs together and lifted her arms above her head forcing her breasts to even greater prominence. Korra felt her spine tingle and then she was clambering onto the bed, positioning herself above Asami. "Just to be clear -" Korra began. "-you're okay with me doing this right?"

"Yes Korra. I'm more than fine with it." said Asami with a smile meant to be encouraging.

That was all she needed to hear. Korra brushed some raven locks away from Asami's shoulder, making space for her lips along that neck and collarbone. Her hands glided up along Asami's arms feeling those deceptively strong muscles while her mouth ventured south. Asami trembled ever so slightly when Korra got to her breasts, that tongue of hers brushing against one nipple. It swelled and grew stiffer as the Avatar's tongue came back again and again before Korra turned her attention to its twin, not content to play with just one. Then Korra was on the move once more all the way down to Asami's thighs.

Asami stopped her there, one hand lifting Korra's chin before her mouth arrived at its destination. "Wait. I know you've never done this before so let give you a bit of advice first." She opened her legs wider then pulled her panties to one side before spreading hers folds. Her free hand pointed at a particular spot on her right and Korra's left. "Right here is what I want you to aim for. I'll tell you if I want you to go faster but when you get the right speed don't change unless I ask you to okay?"

"Okay." Korra grabbed Asami's panties and pulled, eager to get them out of the way. Asami raised her bottom from the bed then held her ankles in the air letting Korra remove her last remaining article of clothing. Korra ran her hands along those open thighs, the feeling of that soft skin exciting her even further. "I've been waiting months for this." said Korra as she lowered her mouth. All those nights in their bed, afraid to touch Asami while she recovered, no matter how much she wanted to make the other woman moan.

Korra took a few seconds to admire all the glistening parts there for the taking, before her tongue slid upwards along the very center. Asami's thighs closed in around her head and Korra gently pushed them back down as she licked a second time then a third. Her eyes flickered upwards to check Asami's reaction and was rewarded with a promising sign. Asami was holding her breasts in both hands, her fingertips rubbing back and forth ever so slightly. Korra's tongue grazed Asami's core again, provoking a quiet gasp. This time Korra didn't stop, her tongue continuing to run over the area Asami had indicated over and over.

One of Asami's hands let go of her breast and she tangled her fingers in the hair on top of Korra's head. "A little faster Korra... to the left...yes...right there. Don't stop!" she huskily urged. The hand not holding Korra's hair found its way to her mouth and Asami bit down on her index finger. It had been so long since she or anyone else had touched her down there and Korra's tongue was focused on just the perfect spot. Asami's body shuddered and Korra started to pull away but Asami's fingers tightened their grip holding her in place. "One more... please?" Asami begged, desperate for this to not end so soon.

The Avatar's tongue came back as she started over. Asami moaned, feeling that tip flick against her without respite. She tangled her other hand into Korra's hair keeping that mouth in position as Asami's hips rocked back and forth from each pass against her. The first one had been quick but the sequel was so slow as to be a torturous but ultimately explosive orgasm. Asami's back arched from the mattress and her final string of groans came from somewhere deep within her.

When Korra sat up her cheeks was shiny from rubbing against Asami's inner thighs and the liquid on them. The Avatar wiped her face off with her fingers before licking them clean. "I had no idea that you would taste so good. We should do this again Asami."

Asami propped herself up, one cheek resting on her fist as she rolled to her side. "I wouldn't mind that Korra. Or is it Mrs Sato now?" She tapped her other finger against her other cheek. "Avatar Korra Sato. Got a nice ring to it."

Korra crawled up to lay next to Asami on the bed though she had to angle her hips in order to avoid the wet spot in the sheet. "You want me to take your last name?" She looked up at the roof of the bed. "Can't say that ever occurred to me but I suppose I can think about it."

Asami leaned over softly kissing Korra's lips. "I'm just teasing you. You don't have to take my name or anything like that." She rolled over putting her back into Korra's chest and pulled the Avatar's arms around her. "And we shouldn't be discussing something like that right now anyways." Asami glanced over her shoulder for a moment. "I love you Korra."

Korra nestled her chin onto Asami's shoulder as she replied without thinking. It was something she had said before but Korra hadn't truly understood what these words meant at the time. But now she did.

"I love you too Asami."

* * *

So this is the end of The Avatar's Anagnorisis Redux. If you made it this far thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.


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